You don't HAVE to do it... Pastor Steven Furtick

Sometimes you will pray and ask God to give you

an opportunity and then you will praise God when he

does it and then give it a year and your

prayer request will be the same thing that was a

praise report a year ago because what starts out as

an opportunity, hey, let's have Jesus over, now becomes an obligation.

So you find yourself like me.

I was walking out the door a few years ago

to preach on a Saturday night and I guess I

wasn't In the best frame of mind, the movie in

my mind was probably really busy.

Lots going on. The kids are pulling me and this

is pulling me. And maybe I didn't have my message

right like I wanted to.

Saturday night is interesting because a lot of times I'm

still trying to get it exactly right. So I'm just

I'm divided and I'm thinking about this and the kids

are doing that. And the kids were the distraction, even

though they're the priority. Because in that moment, I had

somewhere to be that I needed to be.

And I looked at him and I said something we've.

All said thousands of times. And I still say it

all the time, but it was the way I said it.

I said, get off me. I gotta go preach. Spirit

of God spoke so.

Clearly in my heart. No, you don't gotta. I know

it's bad grammar and God probably uses correct English, but

this is how he spoke to me.

You don't gotta do any of it. It kind of

stopped me on my tracks. And I start playing it out. Well,

if I don't show up, who's going to preach?

Somebody.

That's true, isn't it? And if I don't want to

do it, somebody else does. Okay, kids, not right now.

I get to go.

Preach for the glory of God to shepherd the flock.

I didn't say that.

I wish I was that spiritual.

It takes me longer than that. Here's a good exercise

to do if you've been distracted, pulled apart.

Go home.

If you've got time tonight, Martha, I know you're busy,

but before the day is over, sit down and make

a list of all the things in your life that

you've got to do.

I mean detail.

Dishes and phone calls and bills and appointments and messages

and all of it. And then go back through the

list and cross every one of them out.

Because you don't got to do any of it.

That is horrible grammar and great theology. Tell somebody I

don't got to do none of it.

None of it. None of it. Well, I got to

go to work.

No, you don't.

Don't go.

But I got to pay the bill.

No, you don't.

You don't have to live indoors either. You don't have

to do any of it. Hold on, let me make

a quick announcement.

This is probably really bad for church growth.

You don't have to come to church. No, don't come

here because you have to.

Come here because I owe him the glory and God

has been so good to me.

I can't wait to give him the praise. I owe

him my life.

Let everything that I breath praise the Lord. High-five your neighbors, say,

you don't have to. And if they don't high-five you back, say,

you don't have to. You don't have to. You don't

have to do any of it. You don't have to

study for your test this year.

You don't have to pass your class.

You don't have to get a job or ever be

employed or have any money with which to enjoy your life.

You don't have to. I get to.

I want to. I want to get a want to

back in our worship.

You know what I'm saying?

Where the worship leaders don't have to work so hard.

And play your song. And that's my jam. And I

just love that song.

I want you to be able to throw up your

hands to anything they sing that mentions the name of

the one who sets you free.

And if you're singing.

About Jesus, I don't care if I'm watching on a

screen on an iPhone or in Rock Hill. I'm not

praising him because the preacher told me to.

I want to give him praise. I want to give

him glory. If you want to, if you want to.

There was a girl who came here from church from Danville.

Where is Danville?

I don't know.

They said it was like an eight hour drive.

She drove eight hours and somebody else wouldn't drive eight minutes,

but that's all right.

Because God will always.

Have somebody who wants to waiting to take the place

of somebody who.

Wants to complain.

This is starting to hurt about what I got to do.

I want to raise my kids. I don't always feel

like it, but what does feeling like it have to

do with it? I want to kill this lion. I

want to kill this bear. I want a shot at Goliath.

I want to sit at his feet.

It's a privilege. It's a privilege. You've got to fight Martha.

Martha will make you miserable.

You've got to go.

No, no, no. I'm going, and I want to go.

I want to. I want to.

Man, there's nothing worse than having somebody doing something.

For you because they ought to. It doesn't feel right.

It makes me nervous when somebody's doing something because they should.

I don't want your should, love, should. I don't think

God does either. And the worst word we use is ought.

I ought to. That's worse than I've got to.

Because now you're obligated and you're not even doing it.

So now you got all the burden of obligation with

none of the efficiency of commitment.

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