A Look Back

Hi everybody.

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Well, what incredible time in God's presence this morning, and if you're just now joining us, welcome to Elevation Church. You know, we spent the last couple of minutes just thinking about the faithfulness of God, and that's exactly what we're going to do here today. Is we're going to look back on twenty twenty three and just thank God for all that He's done. We're going to talk about some special moments and specifically some sermons that we are still thinking about right now.

And it's not just me.

I have some other people here Chad, Britt and Jason, and we also have some lovely people from some of our local Charlotte area campuses.

So thank you guys for being here today.

Yeah, and it really has been an incredible year. It's very hard to condense down into just a couple things to talk about because God has been so good to our church. But I thought before we dive into the sermons, the things that really you know, we're still processing chat If people have never been part of Coffee Fan before, do you want to explain the format today?

Yeah, So we're taking a little bit different format on this last Sunday of the year where we typically talk about the message. So, like Colleen said, each week we get the opportunity to talk about the message that we just heard and we call that Coffee Fam and we typically do that live on Wednesday morning at nine am. And so a lot of you join in online on YouTube or Facebook, and it doesn't matter if you go

Makes you feel so much better to know like, oh, I'm not the only one who's like struggling through this thing.

And so yeah, we're excited to talk about all of this.

So before well, if you tuned into coffee Fan, we like to we have to warm up the conversation a little bit. And so before we dive into the sermons, let's hit just what is like a moment or two for you guys that you look back on this here and you're like, man, I can't believe I got to see God do this or I got to be part of this thing.

Yeah, I'm tied between two.

Okay, okay, you got to all.

First of all, Bailmunt just had his first worship experience December twenty fourth.

Yeah, normally known as Gaston, that's.

Right, formally non artist, formerly known as Gaston eleven years the non permanent.

We got to move into a permanent.

Facility, so we got to worship God his faithfulness, it's just it's been amazing. But I love about how our church has different expressions. Yes, yeah, and so another expression is our pop ups. And we went to San Diego. Yes, we do a pop up. I went for the first time. We baptized eighty five people. So it was my top moment just seeing that God is moving in a place that we don't have a building. Yes, yeah, yeah, and really people are committed to what God is doing in Elevation Church.

I love it.

Wow.

Okay, okay, well you talked about, you know, buildings and pop ups.

Okay, I'm like you.

I got like two, all right, I gotta tie, I gotta tie.

Okay.

Number one. It was not really a moment. It was like a seven week moment. It was a seven week Bible study that we did earlier this year called Immeasurably Born. Maybe some of you might know what I'm talking about, but it was really a time where we got to journey through the Book of Ephesians together as a church. Our pastor preached through Ephesians. We got to journey through

Top moment for me twenty twenty three.

How about you, Chechah, I love that well.

I love the A few weeks back, we shared all of these different expressions of church and what you were saying of like, it's not just in a building like this, but this year, so many of you know, we got the opportunity to go to so many different states.

With Elevation Nights.

And Elevation Nights is something we've been doing for a few years, but it never gets old getting into an arena and sitting there with ten fifteen thousand people who are worshiping together, who are listening to a message from pastor. And we got the opportunity to do that a bunch

The Northeast, We're coming your way. Get excited. Yeah, no, I would echo everything you guys said. I'm just always in all of like the reach God's given our church. When I started coming here, we were meeting in a high school, Providence school.

I don't know if anyone has been around that long, but it's just.

Incredible to be hundreds of thousands of miles away, to hear people singing the songs that God brought up out of our church, and to meet people who are like, my best friends are in my E group, and you're like, you live in Texas or California. You're like, this is amazing what God is doing. And so I'm incredibly grateful to be a part of it, and I know most

I don't know when, don't know how.

That's right, So we have three that we're going to talk about Jason.

You want to start us.

Off here, absolutely one of my favorite.

We had a couple of a words that pastors started off with.

For context. The first one was the God of also.

If you know your favorite a word that is a good word.

Look at chat making them blessed. But we have the God of again, you know in the crowds, shout it out. But the God of also was one that challenged me personally because it was like, God is not just the God of Abraham, Isaac or Moses, but he's also doing something in my life, not just around my calling of what he wants me to do, but who he wants me to become. All right, In case you missed it, we got a little recap for you, so take a look.

So the first thing we have to understand when we come to God is we must not box him in with our broken understanding of who he is or our limited language.

For those God for new He also predestined.

To be conformed to the image of his son Ah.

So God's calling is really about character.

Why is God, who is.

Holy, stooping down to call himself the God of Jacob. Maybe he wants you to know that he doesn't just want to be your God when you're living like a prince.

Maybe he wants you to know that he is also God.

When I've got it together, but he is.

God.

When I don't stop hiding from God.

When you're feeling ashamed, come to Him and thank Him that there's no shame on Jesus.

So there's no shame on me.

The biggest comfort in my life is that God knew it all when he called me.

Jesus has given us all a gift that is common to us, but it is so specific to us, and our identity in Him is the most important thing about us.

Wow.

Wow, I'm telling you the God of Also what such a challenging moment for I believe all of us.

Yeah.

For me, it was about getting in to our character, not just start calling being what we're doing. And the topic. Pastor started with the character. He started with what's Moses?

How Moses was called to deliver the people out of Egypt but also called in murder. Yes, he had a serious thing he was wrestling through. And I don't know about you in the crowd or in the chat, I just want you to put that one thing God.

Developed in your character this year. I want to see it for me as a pastor. I know y'all think I'm just you know, flowing no angels wings, I think, but God developed my You don't think that chat gotcha.

But he developed my patience.

And so I really want to know from you guys, like, what did God really do that you didn't expect him to do in your character as you trusted him.

It's a great question. You're going deep right away.

I mean, well, let me start with this because you kind of hit on this. But I'm looking back at my notes, which this is why I love that we do this, because it just brings back.

All these things to mine. Absolutely, and I highlighted this.

It says before Moses ever called on God, Yes, God called on Moses. And so when you're talking about our character, there's times where and I'm not speaking for everyone, just those of us that struggle with these little things, right, but there's times where I forget like or and I think, I like to think I'm a strong, independent woman, right, like I got this, I'm on this, you know, like I'm doing my thing. But then like before I ever

We all have a calling in life, and.

So for my character, it's like helping me define purpose and understand that what God has for me, like I can't even like foresee, His ways are greater than our ways.

So it's just a touching thing to go ick.

And remember this and how that quote hit me the same way as it did when he preached it.

That's great.

You did say patience, you didn't expound on it, So I'm going to take it to but I'm going to expound on it because it's in multiple areas in my life. So when I think about patience, I think about certainly just my life, my kids. You know, if you have kids, you're like God's developing patients in my life as to speed, But it's really more about me wanting to see what it is that I believe is to come right, not just in my kids, but in my own life and my workplace, and so as I'm thinking, man, God, I

Didn't do the things and the timing that I wanted him to.

Do, because then I in a lot of ways, i'd be like, yeah, that's right. I knew exactly that's what was supposed to happen in that way. When it happens like this, which is more often than not, you always look back and say, man, God, I'm just so thankful that you didn't take my advice on this on this one. But I'm following your advice and I'm following the plan that you're laying out for me step by step.

So I think this year it's.

A common theme for me, though I don't know that that's going to go away next year, And saying patience.

My kid is still going to be in the house.

That's I was gonna say.

I was say, the character thing is like it's I feel like when God reveals something to your like, got it, God, I'm going to work on it. And then it gets frustrating when you're like, why am I still working.

On this thing over and over and over again?

And Pastor Stevens said a long time ago, he said, we will go through a lot of the same stuff over and over again, but the fact that we're aware of it, we're like circling it at a higher level. So like more I wan't even known I was like frustrated or not being patient, but now I'm like, Okay, God's like putting these old checks in my spear. I was telling Britt this morning, I felt like even this morning, I think God knew we were going to talk about this sermon. But I was walking my dog and I

That great.

I'm being very vulnerable with you guys right now, but I'm not no joke.

The whole walk back, I was like, why did I react like that?

Right?

And I was one of the other things past that is like your potential is revealed in your maturity. Yes, yeah, And so for me, I was just thinking, I'm like, again, I'm being hard on myself in this moment, but I also am grateful to God, like it was like helping me like work through it, like, hey, you should have done that, and I'm like, and he forgives me for it, and I'm good. But also just to be aware, like that's one of the things I gotta keep working on.

That was the encouraging thing about this arment. How God said he didn't just call you on your half points. Yes, yeah, he didn't just call you in the places that you're proud of, call you your low moments too. Romans eight twenty nine, where Pastor kind of came from. He says God knew us before we even knew ourselves. Prefsting is the word, and he already had a plan laid out for our weaknesses and our.

Shrips when we'll go off on the woman with the dog.

And for me, for me calling I'm not gonna leave you out there by yourself. But for me, I was actually in the hospital with my mom when this sermon was playing, and my patience was like, God, what are you going to do when I'm anticipating and in the chat right now?

We don't know what you're going through, but we would love to pray for you.

Put in the chat right now, maybe your end of the year is still hard and you need to see the God of also work. But in that moment, I got a reminder that God is not just wanting to do something for me. He's wanting to do something in me. Yeah, He's wanting to develop some character in me. And I know some of you.

Have takeaways and we rent through this.

Sermon, but we actually have one in our.

Live studio audience.

We do.

We have Robert from the Blakeney campus. Go ahead and stand though, Robert. Robert is going to share his takeaway from this sermon because I know it impacted me.

But we want to know how it impacted you.

Go ahead, Yeah, no, there was a lot, a lot to take away from this, this actual, actual message. But the thing that rested on me the hardest or the most, that kind of like resonated with me and it continues to sit on me is God is also the god of self development. And the line that he made was that self development is the key or is the direction

Thank you so much, Robert.

That's beautiful. I love that too.

Because Pastor, when he was preaching this, he pointed out, like, because Jacob had his name changed, yes, but he didn't say like, I'm the God of your new fancy name. He said, I'm the God of Jacob aka deceiver. Right, that's the name that Scripture uses when he says I'm the.

God of Jacob.

That's right.

And so I thought that that was beautiful. Thank you for sharing that.

I love that you just shared that about the self discovery because that's something that I was thinking about so much longer after the message of all of this self development.

Being this discovery of who I already am.

And I think that's so much of what this message was about, of like, you already are the thing, It's just deep inside you. You already are a patient person because God is patient and God is kind, and so if God is living in me, then then I must have.

That attribute as well.

So how am I discovering that I already am that person?

And that messed with my mind a.

Lot because I'm like, but I don't feel like I'm feel different things that I'm striving to be. But I love that Pastor always talks about when when really that that that's placed on you, that that development piece is placed on you, You'll start to see things pull out of you that you didn't think we're in there be like, oh, so true, that's inside of me.

Maybe it wasn't developed. Maybe it's just just being discovered.

Now.

Maybe it's something God that that's already been been inside of me. And so I try to think back on that when I think, Man, I don't have that, I don't have the thing that I'm looking at. And I'm like, man, God, I wish, I wish I could just be a little bit more resilient. And He's like, no, no, No, You're resilient.

Then develop it. Right, that's the key word, right.

The development discovery is one phase which as if that's not it is difficult sometimes because we don't always see those things. And this that's why they say that we should always have like people around us to.

Help us see some of the things.

Trusted people that like we sometimes overlook or don't recognize you doing it not.

But I'm always here for each That's not going to happen.

Around But I really believe it.

I really do believe it.

And I've really seen it in my own life where I won't see something in myself and then somebody will see it and they'll give me that opportunity or they'll speak that life into me. And it's helped me developed to the point that I'm at now because my yes is put the demand on me what you talked about, so you see, oh, there is that kindness in there. You have to put the demands on you to be kind to develop it. You need both and so putting in the work after the discovery is just as important.

And that's the part that sometimes I think some.

Of us will get the glimpse, will we be willing to put in the work to actually develop that character within us.

I love how past esteem and kind of land at this sermon, and he he kind of reminded us that we don't have to be afraid to come to God when we've made that mistake on the road to development.

That's right.

I think it's really important that we still go to God for the things we need, internalities that are not developed depending on our own strength or depending on ourselves. It's how Moses got in trouble when he tried to do it on his own and not depend on God's grace. That's when it fell short, and so I don't know where you're at today, but we want you to.

We want to tell you to keep trusting.

God, keep believing that He is a god of also our weaknesses and our strengths.

Yeah, yeah, that's right.

Well, speaking of also not, Holly also preached some incredible service this year, Britt. I know you're of a lot of favorites, but if we had to pick a one to talk.

About, okay, well, this one's for the ladies. Where are my ladies at?

Don't leave me hanging, make yourself known in the child. But in all seriousness, our pastor preaches incredible messages every single.

Week that are life changing. Yes, that's right.

I've been under his teachings and preaching for eleven years now and it really has changed my life. And with that, we also have the amazing gifts of Hollyfordic as well, and our first Lady Pastor Holly has preached some amazing messages this year. But there is one in particular that she preached on Mother's Day actually, and it was called Sudden Strength, and it really is a beautiful picture of how even in our weakest moments, when we look to

When we experience a difficult situation, we have two choices. We can wonder why, or we can ask what next.

When I sit in.

My pain for too long, I get stale, and I get bitter, and nobody.

Wants to be around me. But when I drag my pain to.

The feet of Jesus, sometimes over and over again, when I seek God, he answers.

We're not fighting in our own power.

That's the amazing thing, Paul said. Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. It's his mighty power that is at work.

On the inside of you.

But sometimes you gotta get up. If you want to activate God's power in your life, you gotta move.

You got to seek.

Him again and again and again. You gotta arm yourself so that you can stand against the enemy. Don't give in, don't let him win, keep fighting even when you're tired.

Do you guys see why I love that so much?

Esphesian six. You gotta be armed, yes, But I really do love so much the handles that she gave us.

Because she said this, she was.

Talking about how sometimes an unexpected fight does break out, and for me, I can think of the times where, like, you know, I was doing good, I was on my grind, I was doing my thing, and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I'm like, where did this come from? And because I was so unprepared, like I wasn't expecting it, I went into.

Literal battle.

And I didn't know where to find my strengths. So the tools that she gave us, I hope that we all took to heart, and if not, it's fine. We're going to unpack them a little bit more today so we can really get these in our spirit going into twenty twenty four. But here's the deal. She said this, and this is kind of where I want to start. She asked us the questions like when something does happen in our lives, we can wonder why, or we can

Great Yasna say, well, do you want like the church answer or like what I actually do?

I want a real.

So I think like for me, and I think this even goes back to a little bit of Pastor's lest sermon is I feel like when something like that happens, I am very quick to like try to figure stuff out on my own. I'll ask everyone of my friends before I come to God, and I will I'll sit

What do I need to do? And so I love when she.

Talked about like what you do today is giving you strength for tomorrow. And so even what you said, Britt is like you have to like you have to be prepared daily to go into that. And so I think the thing that I've learned about myself is like I have to spend time with God.

I'm praying in.

My car, whether that's reading my Bible, whether that's journaling things I'm grateful for I have to be filled up in order to be prepared when that next thing comes. And so am I good at it? Not all the time, but I'm learning the things I need to do so I am prepared when I.

Go into it.

Yeah, I would say I'm good at telling my kids that this is preparation for what's next. Yeah, because that's the way I see like my life. I mean, everything I'm doing for my kids and it's like, well, what, I don't want to do that now? No, no, No, We're teaching you so that later on this you're gonna you're gonna thank us later for this because we're helping you to understand you got to clean up after yourself.

Have at it. I'm going to fight it because I want to fix things.

I want to make things right. I'm a fixer, you know. I'm not one to sit back and be like, let me just really believe and think, what is God trying to teach me through this? Because that's that is so difficult for me to do. That is such a difficult thing. It's easy to sit here and talk about to just say, well, just do it. One of the things I love that Holly said, though, was you got to do the work. You got to do the work, and you got to do the work to dive in and even just sit

What are you trying to teach me through this?

What are you trying to help me understand that this is preparation for And that's tough, that's not easy.

Well, it's the discipline part of what you said is because like I think we want it to be easy, but I'm like, the discipline part's hard, Like I don't always want to read my Bible every day. Like truthfully, I'm like, but you have to like make yourself do the things and to see like to see the progress and to see it working.

And so it's not easy. But that's what discipline is.

Yeah, because normally under pressure, we respond so differently from a psychological standpoint. They say it's three responses fight, flight or freeze.

Yep, I would love.

To know which one where my flight people at fight freeze?

Yeah, sometimes all three. I don't know what to do.

But as a leader, I find myself always, like you, Chad, wanting to solve it.

Yeah.

And I'm also a worst case scenario person, so I'm not trying.

To solve the actual problem. I'm trying to solve the worst case scenario.

Problem's going to help exists yet and.

I don't know why, And so I feel like my imagination can get away from me and try to go into mow. And so I love discernment because it teaches us how to surrender even in a fight.

Yeah, it's really it's really kind of cool because the story that Holly was preaching from it was like about David and everything had been taken his wives, which we're not going to talk about that right now, but everything has been taken and they were all like at their lowest point and they're like super weak, like they were exhausted.

They couldn't have been ment or cry anymore.

And then like the strength of the Lord came to David and that moment, and so what a beautiful picture of even.

Like when we're going through some really difficult things.

And I mean, I don't know about everyone, but this year I've hit some lows, you know, like if life has been life in you know, like in all seriousness, like you know, like difficult things like mommy is not easy, and then you know, I've experienced loss. I've experienced a lot of real things this year. And in those moments, like when you're talking about all of those, I think I do a little bit of all of it. But one thing I do very practically in those moments.

And I don't know if this.

Is right or not, but I always give myself a deadline to feel whatever I want to feel. So like when I'm like and I'm like I can wile out, I can say what I want.

Again, I'm not saying this is best.

I'm just saying I give myself permission to Maybe it is like lamenting is fine, right, but like maybe not some of the ways I do it.

But a normal deadline like how long are we talking? Okay?

It depends on what it is, okay. So like if it's something like say like my son or my husband, like make me mad, I'm gonna say, you know what, I'm gonna go like, I'm literally gonna go take a shower and just sit in my room for an hour and then I have to get over it because I gotta figure it out. Or if it's you know, a friend thing, I might take the night and be as angry as I want, and then I'm gonna come back, you know, the next day and we're gonna figure it out.

We got to solve this thing. You've got to move on from it.

Or if it's I don't know, it's so different depending on I never.

Let myself sit in it though, too.

I'm typically one of the next I'm like, you're ready for next twenty four hours or less than twenty four hours, just because I know if I let myself go too long, right, and it's gonna be really bad for me because then I've started a spiral and everyone I'm not gonna be able to get out. But then there's like different cycles like grief. Yeah, maybe I can just do twenty four hours. Yeah, but I'm gonna give myself twenty four hours to feel

And so but it also in my mind, it.

Just triggers something like you get to be human, you get to feel this, you get to experience this because you guys know, like I really am a firm believer of I know God gave us emotions, but then he tells us things like you slow to anger.

I'm like, you literally gave me the thing.

I really believe that I read this devotional years ago that just and it's always stuck with me. This is maybe like ten to fifteen years ago about like emotions are meant to catch our attention. So anytime you feel like anger, frustration, like that is a signal to you not to act out of that, but to bring that to God because they caught your attention for a reason. And so that is what I've been really working really

I love the example of David because in the Book of Psalms you see him always expressing what he's feeling, what he's going through and going to God and not just saying it to his neighbors. So for me, I love to complain. I don't know what my complainers are. Yeah, I got a lot of issues.

Guys.

Therapy right now.

I feel so therapeutic. But I just want to complain. But when I complain to my wife or my friends, that causes.

Like fear or anxiety to them.

But when I complain in the presence of God, he has answers, so and so, just like you, It's like, I'll give myself a moment, but I'm like, okay, God, how can we circle up?

This is what I'm really feeling. He's not afraid of my doubt, my anxiety.

My space for all of that.

He said, Hey, come to me, you know.

And that's sometimes the hardest part is just to kind of go to God.

Oh yeah, totally. It just seems so simple. You're like, we'll know the thing to do, but we just don't do it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly.

Wonder why or like Holly said, that's right, ask what's next?

What now? What would you have me do?

That's great, what's next?

Perfect?

We do have someone in the crowd as well who has a takeaway from this message.

I resonated with this sermon so much because I was in the middle of a battle of feeling like I wasn't equipped to raise our teenage son and hearing her say the enemy is out there and he wants you to be too tired for the calling God has put on your life really encouraged me. Really shot me in the gut, if I'm being honest. But the pandemic really rocked our teenager's world. He went through a really deep depression and he was this kid that showed up for

So but yeah, so good. Thank you for sharing that. That's so powerful and that's so real, and.

I know that there's a lot of people that are here today that can relate to that, And I just thank you for being vulnerable and being in it right now, because there's so many of us that are in it

All right, well, we have one more sermon that we're going to get to talk about, Chad, one of your favorites.

We're going to Week two of this year where Pastor rolled out Do the New You, and everybody's shaking their head yes because they all pre ordered past this book. Pastor just wrote a new book called Do the New Ye, and it's based off of this message and some messages beyond this.

But what I love so much.

Is this kind of ties in so much to everything that we've already been talking about, is how the you that really is inside of you, the you that God knows. It's not always the me that I know, it's not the me that that I see on a daily basis, but but the me that God wants me to be is inside of me. And it's really all about what are the different steps that I.

Need to take in life to see that happens.

How do I need to really let that come out and walk forward in what God has for me?

And So if if you missed it, I hope you didn't.

You can certainly watch it on YouTube, and I would encourage you to do that, but we have a little recap to show you about it.

To take a look.

The way that you have been living that has been limiting you. It is a product of the patterns of the world that you have copied unconsciously. Until now, we almost have elevated authenticity to the level.

Of ultimate authority in our lives.

To give ourselves permission not to make progress. What wind are you cursing because you avoided dealing with the storms inside? The awareness of how I start doesn't have to become indicative of where I end.

I believe that.

There is a power in Christ for you to decide that I don't want to be like what I can I'm from.

I want to be like I was created for.

In the Lord.

You are being called this year to do the knew you.

But he said before you were born, before I formed you in the room, I before any of the crap happened. God said, I had intimate knowledge of your intellect, and he.

Brought me that sucks to tell me do it?

To know you?

I go back.

I got to go back.

I got to go back and watch it.

Yeah, I love that Pastor was was just sharing before before we even knew us, he knew everything. And I just feel like I said this just a minute ago, but that that has just been flown throughout today, that that before we even got to the place that we're and God knew that we would be in the place that we're in. God set us up to be exactly where we're at. He gave us everything we need for where we're at today. But one of the things that Pastor said is what wind are you cursing?

And knowing that there's so much.

Going on and you may be saying, oh, man, I hate that I'm in that position, or I hate that I'm I'm dealing with this right now, or why are they doing that again? Or why kids acting up this way again? What's the wind in your life that you're cursing that that if you stop to sit back and say, wait a.

Minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, God.

Is that actually the thing that you're trying to do in me right now? Is that the me is that is that part of me today? And so everybody's been asking questions, here's my question, What's what's the what's the wind you're cursing today? Jason, what's the wind in life that maybe maybe is something that God's put in your life?

Yeah?

Yeah, I feel like the winding I'm cursing is I always go back to my leadership because I leave so many people.

And maybe you can relate to this.

There's always something to solve, and I'm like, why do I have to carry this weight of solving this problem again? You know, why do I have to continuously move this up forward again? Because sometimes I feel tired. I feel like I don't have the answers. People want solutions, they want marriage counseling, They won't They want me to be the source, and I feel empty sometimes and so it's like, God, why are you bringing me all of this that I

And people are coming to me for solutions.

But I feel like that win has definitely put a resilience in me to just keep going. Sometimes I may not have the answer, and it's okay to be set to tell people, Hey.

I don't know, but we're gonna pray about it. We're gonna believe God for it, and not in a cliche way. We're actually going to sit and pray and wait on God to be there. And so I feel like that win comes in moments that I you know, I hate to go all the way back to twenty twenty. I hate we're going into a new year, but I feel like that what that pressure is as a pastor or as a leader, it just kept building and building. Okay,

Love that, Yeah, it's really good.

I mean there's a few things that come to.

Mind that you're cursing.

Yeah, in a kind way. No, I think that, like it's maybe not the same because actually I'm one of those people that's energized by problems. I more so get really annoyed with like what I feel like are barriers, you know what I mean, And I just get so like frustrated at it, and I'm like really like again, or like why is this in the way? This could be so great if just this or you know, whatever that might look like. And so for me, I think

I get super frustrated and just like.

Oh, so for real, we're gonna we don't box that we got square up right now?

Because why why are you you know what I mean? But like it is that for me, I think right for.

Me, I think I the wind that I'm cursing as you is. I have these like benchmarks I set for myself where I'm like, I should be here by now in this area of my life. I should be here in this area of my life. So I think for me, it's like season of life where I'm in my head, I'm.

Like, I thought i'd be here. I thought i'd be doing this. I thought, you know.

All these different things, and so I think it's very easy for me to get I don't know, not like a I guess. I mean, yeah, sometimes I get upset about it, but I think like for me, I'm I'm trying to figure out, well, one, these are self imposed deadlines I've put on myself. Yeah, it's not like anything God was like you were supposed to do this. I'm like, no,

I would have ruined it. So that to me, I think is where I struggle the most.

Yeah, yeah, that's great, I would agree with that. I It's a both then for me because in it Pastor talked all about putting off your old self. Yeah, and so then I always feel like, well, if I'm putting off my old self, then I'm growing toward toward my new self. But like you said, it's all about the timing and the timelines. And for me, I'm like, so, I'm not there yet though, I'm not to what I wanted to be. I'm trying to put off the old self,

What is the problem?

Yeah, all right.

But even in those little things, though, is when I start to get discouraged, because I feel like, man, well, God, like, if I'm building and working towards who You've created me to be, if I'm trying to keep you at the center of my life, then I thought things would look a little bit different by now, and so that can be discouraged, But it really is trusting that, like we've been saying, that God placed me right here.

He knew that I'd be exactly where I.

He knew that I'd be in the position that I am right with the people, that I am right with the people that were not. Just all of the different situations that you find yourself in and believing that God, this was your plan, this is what you had emotional law.

I love what all bringing up because I felt like this year I had to abandon the image of who I thought I needed to be.

I had to abandon the image and I go back.

This year I got the opportunity to preach in a prison. We do a prison ministry here at Elevation Church. I think it's incredible and preaching the inmates that are, you know, just locked up for life sentences or twelve years. I mean, what do you say to them? You know, how do you encourage them in such a hard place. But this year I experienced the loss of my mom and sharing with them that I had to abandon the image that God was going to do what I thought he was

That's great.

So the image of me this year was like, I'm gonna be strong, I'm gonna be a great leader, I'm gonna do all these incredible things. But guy saw me being more vulnerable that extending more hope through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and not through my life, but what he's done so abandon The image for me was how the new me kind of came forth, but I didn't think it was coming forth through something so hard.

Yeah.

I mean, as we wrap up this year, I just can't think of a better sermon to just reflect on.

When you think back to.

The beginning of the year when you first heard this and it was like, Okay, this year, this is what.

I'm going to do.

Then if I'm going to do the new me, this is the thing that I'm Since you start putting things in place, and now we're at the end of the year and we're like, wait, wait, but here's one thing that I love. The pastor said in the message, she said it is in obedience, that potential is realized.

And I think that as we.

Look back this year, if we can look back and say, God, man, it definitely doesn't look like I thought it was going to ruk. But what I can say is I've tried to be obedient. I've tried to just follow what it is that you've put in front of me, step by step. If you've closed the door, then you've closed the door. If you've opened the door, I've tried to walk through it.

God.

I've tried to make new habits and just understanding that there's grace for those that are just saying God, I just want to.

Be obedient to you this year.

And it may not have ended up the way that I thought, but if you're being obedient, Pastor said, that's where your potential is realized.

And I really believe that.

God respects that, and He's like, man, I see you trying. And as we look forward to a new year, it's exciting just to believe God.

For what's next.

You know, Hey, maybe those things didn't happen this year, but God, all in your timing.

Yeah, absolutely happen. That's right.

And I think when you do look back on this year, whether you know we're doing this here as a church, but like collectively, like look back on your own life, like what has God done for you?

And I think hopefully it'll get as excited for.

What He going to do next year as we continue to press in to Him and you know, keep circling.

Some of the same stungs at a higher level.

Exactly.

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