Steven Furtick - Don't Miss Your Purpose (10/30/2018)
This sermon challenges listeners to stop talking themselves out of the assignments and promises God has for them, drawing parallels from Moses's excuses and Joshua's commissioning. Using Joshua 1:1-9 and Psalm 42, the preacher argues that our internal dialogue dictates our destiny, and we must learn to "talk ourselves into" God's purpose by constantly speaking Scripture over our lives, encouraging ourselves, and shifting from listening to our fears to preaching to our souls.
The Power of Your Internal Dialogue
Let me ask you a question. What have you talked yourself out of that God is trying to bring you into? What are you talking yourself out of right now that God is trying to bring you into in your relationships? What are you talking yourself out of that God is trying to bring you into in your personal life? I don't care what category you use. We've all got something that we're talking ourselves out of. The message God gave me today is that you can talk yourself into it just like you've been talking yourself out of it. You can talk yourself into it. One thing I noticed about myself from an early age is that I can be persuasive when I need to be.
Sometimes in school when I would need an extension on a paper, I knew I could usually get one because I have this way of talking myself out of things. Do you understand? It comes in handy as a preacher to be persuasive because you have to get people to do things that they need to do that they don't want to do. You're trying to tell people to trust God in their finances. The problem with that is they already feel broke. Now you tell them they want to trust God with their finances if they need to trust God with their finances. They don't want to trust God with their finances because they don't have many finances, but you want to get them to see that the reason you don't have any finances is because you're not trusting God in your finances.
And if you trust God in your finances, it will open your eyes to the supply that he has available for you. And if you seek him first, it's his kingdom and his righteousness. All these things I'm preaching in my watch off my wrist. That's how excited I am about the word of God. Just hold it, Russell. I don't even want it back. I don't even care what time it is. I might preach through lunch. Because there are some things in your life that you've been talking yourself out of. But one time, my senior year of high school, they put me in an AP English class with Eunice Cox. And Eunice Cox was rumored to be a tough teacher, but it's no problem for me. I got this because I got the gift.
When You Meet Your Match
And so I came upon my first book report, and I wasn't going to finish it on time. I knew I wouldn't finish it on time, but I wasn't worried about it because I could talk my way out of it. I've always talked my way out of things. Speeding tickets and all kinds of things I've talked myself out of. Why not this paper too? But Eunice Cox was waiting for me at the door, and she said, I noticed you didn't turn your assignment in, and I smiled real sweet because I got some Southern charm. I grew up in a small town. I know how to talk to people. I said, Miss Cox, I said, I was going to talk to you about this. And she said, I don't want to hear it. And she said, Stephen Furtick, you have met your match in Eunice Cox.
I said, but Ms. Cox… She said, no. I said, but I was going to… No. And I said, well, what can I do? She said, well, if I were you, I'd try to get a good grade on all the other ones because you'd get a zero on this one. And you might want to bring up your average. Now, I want you to understand something. When God called Moses, Moses was reluctant to do what God had called him to do. And Moses had a million excuses, and so do you. Why you can't be it, why you can't do it, why you can't go forward in it. Come on. How many of you are good at talking yourself out of things? How many of you, by the time I get done preaching sometimes, and you've even had your lunch, you have forgotten what the sermon is even about?
Shame on you! No, I'm just kidding. It's how it works. We are so quick to talk ourselves out of things. But when Moses started telling God, you know, I can't speak, and I can't do it, and I'm not eloquent, and I'm not trained, and I'm not equipped, and I'm not able, God said to Moses, you have met your match in Eunice Cox. You have met your match in the Lord your God. Have I not commanded you? I don't even want to hear it out of your mouth, why you can't. I am the greater one. I am the power within you. I am the one who calls you by name. I know what you got because I put it in you. I know what you don't have because I left it out. And I command you to be courageous.
The Cost of Talking Yourself Out of Destiny
So it occurs to me that maybe the reason that God is speaking to Joshua on this level is because Joshua has seen firsthand the devastation that it causes when God's people talk themselves out of what God is trying to bring them into. You know, those spies said to Moses, we can't do it. They're stronger. They're bigger. And Joshua spoke up, and he got everybody's attention. The Bible says in Numbers 14:6, that he tore his clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, hey, come on, guys. The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel.
Don't do this. Don't die outside of your destiny. Don't let your fear keep you from your future. Don't be discouraged. Don't rebel. If the Lord is pleased with you, he'll lead us in the land of flowing with milk and honey, he'll give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord and do not be afraid of the people of the land. And stop forfeiting your future for your fear of people. Stop forfeiting your future for your fear of failure. You hear me? Stop forfeiting your future because of what they might think about you. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. I mean, you've got to believe down deep in your soul that God is with me in this moment. He's with me when I feel him. He's with me when I don't.
He's with me when I'm faithful. He's with me when I'm faithless. He's with me when I'm right. He's with me when I'm wrong. He's with me when I'm whole. He's with me when I'm broken. Somebody shout, God is with me. Touch your neighbor. Say, he's with you too. He's with you too. No matter how hard Joshua tried, he couldn't talk Moses into it. You know why? Because nobody can talk you into your destiny but you. Touch your neighbor. Say, talk yourself into it. Talk yourself into it. It is interesting that when God speaks to Joshua, he tells him what to do. Lead these people to inherit the land. Now, the problem with a lot of us is that we have shrunk our lives down to the size of our own personal interest.
We don't have anything bigger than us worth fighting for, so it doesn't take much to discourage us. If I didn't preach every time I don't feel like preaching, you would hear from me three times a year. You know how I preach every week? I talk myself into it. And I tell myself, there's somebody coming to church today who's suicidal. There's somebody coming to church today whose kid is on drugs. There's somebody coming to church today that has been told all their life they're worthless. And you get to tell them God loves them. And maybe you could smile at them and make them feel through your countenance that God has not forgotten them, that he knows them by name. But by the time I stop talking to myself, I'm ready to talk to you. Now we can preach. Now we can do it. Now we can go.
But see, you've got to talk yourself into your purpose. I have a purpose. I don't need to ask God to give me a purpose. I have a purpose. You have a purpose to glorify God, to be transformed into the image of Christ, to be conformed into the image of Christ. It's not that you don't have a purpose. It's that every time God tries to bring you into it, you talk yourself out of it. And so he says, this is not just about you, Joshua. There are people depending on you. Your destiny is connected to something much bigger than you. So go do it and be strong and courageous. But God is a good coach, and a good coach doesn't just motivate you. He instructs you. And so he gives him the mechanics. And this is what I was excited about.
The "How To" of Courage
I mean, that part, I was excited about that part too, but I really wanted to show you this. He said in verse eight, keep this book of the law always on your lips. This, this stood out to me in Deuteronomy 31. I told you I have a lot of scripture today. Isn't that kind of what you came for though? Okay. In Deuteronomy 31, before Moses died, he climbed up on Mount Nebo and he died and God didn't let the Israelites find his body because he knew that if they found his body, they would continue to worship his bones. Because sometimes the only way for God to get you to move past something in your life is to completely take it away. But before he died, he called the nation together. He said, And he gave him a little speech.
He gave him a little talk. He gave him a little, he said, I'm not going into the land, but you are and Joshua is going to lead you. He pulls Joshua beside him and he tells him, be strong and courageous. For you must go with this people in the land the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. Not you may, but you must. Not you should, but you must. And you must do it. And as you do it, know that the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be. So when God speaks to Joshua after the death of Moses, Joshua has heard this speech before. It's not his first time hearing it. But when God gives the speech, he adds one thing that Moses left out.
See, Moses told him what to do. Told him why to do it. God showed Joshua how. Would you like to know how to keep yourself encouraged? Because you need to know. They aren't always going to text you encouragement when you need it. That's part of being a grown Christian. You need to learn to encourage yourself. I gotta tell you. Touch your neighbor and say, I can encourage myself. If you encourage me, I appreciate it. If you're nice to me, I appreciate it. If you say kind things to me, that's cool. But I need you to know that even if you don't, if you get too busy, or if you forget about me, or if you don't know what to say to me, I need you to know I can encourage myself. Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. I learned to encourage myself.
Because I can't always count on a text. And I can't always count on a hug. And I can't always count on a man. And I can't always even count on my own friends, but I can encourage myself. So God tells Joshua, he says, I'm not always going to speak to you like this. You know, you have moments in your life where God himself will speak to you, and they're awesome. One time I was coming home to Charlotte when we were first starting the church, and I was nervous, and I was afraid and discouraged. I was discouraged because people weren't showing up yet, and I was afraid because I didn't know if they ever would. And so I was afraid and discouraged. And those are two states you cannot fulfill your destiny in.
From Listening to Yourself to Talking to Yourself
Let me show you something. If you are afraid right now, it is not because the devil is making you afraid. There is somebody on your road that has more to be afraid of than you, and yet the confession of their life is, I have fear, but fear doesn't have me. If you are discouraged, it is not because of your conditions or your circumstances. They may have been a contributing factor, but they are not the deciding factor. Discouragement is a decision that I make. Discouragement is a conversation that I have with myself. Discouragement is that thing inside of me that says, this is the way it will always be. See, it's not getting any better. See, that woman right there doesn't like your sermon. Look how she's looking at you, and that guy's asleep.
Discouragement is that little voice inside of your head that you listen to. And our problem, Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, the great Welch preacher, once said, our problem is that we spend too much time listening to ourselves and not enough time talking to ourselves. Now, y'all are about to think I'm crazy, but I talk to myself all the time. How many of you talk to yourself all the time? Well, sure you do. You've been doing it since you were three. But somewhere along the way, between putting together Legos, and the big one goes here, and the little one goes here, and you talked yourself through it, now somewhere along the way, you turned against yourself. And so now you're listening to yourself like the psalmist did. He was having a bad day, and so he started talking about the day he was having.
And he said in Psalm 42, verse 4, he said, These things I remember as I pour out my soul, how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy. You know, right before this, he said, My tears have been my food day and night. And he's in this cycle. But he did something in verse 5. It's kind of a strange technique. And if you do this, people might think that you're crazy. But if you don't do it, you really will be crazy. So you can decide whether you want people to think you're crazy or whether you really want to be crazy. Because he's been listening to himself for four verses. He's been listening to his tears. He's been listening to his trials. He's been listening to his past. But in verse 5, he totally shifts.
And instead of listening to himself, he starts preaching to himself. It's very powerful. Why, my soul, are you so downcast? Did you see the shift? He's like, I'm done with this. If I wake up in the morning and ask myself how you feel, I'm going to be 50-50 at best. So I'm going to wake up in the morning and tell myself, this will change your life, and tell myself, today we're going to be blessed. Today we're going to be favored. Today we're going to be a blessing. Today we're going to take new ground. Today we're going to encourage somebody else. Today we're going to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Today, why are you so downcast on my soul? Why so disturbed in me? Then he does something very powerful. He puts himself in his place.
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him. Sometimes you have to put yourself in your place. Sometimes you have to make discouragement bow its knee in the presence of God, and fear must bow to faith in the presence of God. Somebody give him a praise right now. Hey, Joshua, here's how you do it. Keep this book of the law always on your lips. There's a land I'm taking you to. There's a promise that I'm leading you to, but you're going to have to talk yourself into it. Meditate on the law day and night. The law was five books of the Bible that we have now, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Torah. It was the Bible that Joshua had. God said, your life will follow the direction of your conversation.
Your courage comes from your conversation. So does your fear. So does your discouragement. Not just your conversations with others, but your conversation with yourself. So keep this book of the law on your lips, not just in your mind, on your lips. The Hebrew word for meditate is *hagah*, and it means to mutter. Because there was a Hebrew tradition that while they studied the text and reflected upon it, they would mutter. See, it's not enough to read the Bible. You have to rehearse the Bible. Come on, Gaston Campus. It is not enough for you to hear this word. It is not enough for you to listen to me speak. If you are going to live in that place… What place? I'm not going to the land of Canaan. No, no, no. But God has promised you his peace.
If you are going to have his peace in your life, you're going to have to talk yourself into peace. God has given you his courage. If you are going to live in courage and fulfill your purpose, you're going to have to talk yourself into your purpose. Keep it on your lips.