How To Handle A Setback | Pastor Daniel Floyd | Elevation Church

TL;DR Summary

Pastor Daniel Floyd delivers an inspiring message on navigating life’s setbacks, emphasizing the power of prayer and faith. He draws the congregation’s attention to the story of Peter in prison from Acts 12:5, illustrating how the early church responded to adversity with earnest prayer. This sermon encourages believers to view setbacks not as the end but as opportunities for God to demonstrate His power and faithfulness, urging the audience to lean into prayer as their first response to life’s challenges.

The core message revolves around the transformative power of prayer, supported by the scriptural account of Peter’s miraculous release from prison. Pastor Floyd explains that the church’s decision to pray earnestly, despite the dire circumstances, was pivotal in witnessing God’s intervention. He highlights the importance of choosing faith over fear, emphasizing that prayer is not a last resort but a powerful tool that aligns believers with God’s will. By referencing the biblical narrative, he underscores that God is capable of delivering us from any situation, just as He did for Peter.

Pastor Floyd encourages listeners to reframe their perspective on setbacks, viewing them as opportunities for spiritual growth and deeper reliance on God. He challenges the audience to break agreements with negative narratives and instead align with God’s promises. The sermon closes with a call to action, inviting believers to trust in God’s sovereignty and rest in the assurance that He is already present in their future. This message serves as a reminder that prayer and faith can turn setbacks into setups for God’s greater purpose in our lives.

Full Sermon Transcript

come how you thankful for just a place where you walk in and doesn’t matter what you carried in just a moment in the presence of God can change your perspective can lift the burden can give you a new new look Outlook on the day and uh how about how your church served all those in Western North Carolina I mean how amazing I know you celebrated it but I just think that’s the way it ought to be that that when there’s hurting the church ought to show up that when people are in need and all across the world you showed up in a in an amazing way and making a difference you know you gave a cup of cold water as the New Testament says in the name of Jesus and uh I love what they said in the video that we’re going to give them some coat we’re going to give them Jesus too we’re going to pray we’re going to believe with them we’re going to stand with them what an amazing thing so honored to be back at elevation I love your your pastors and uh I know everybody does um but I love them on another level um I was thinking uh before we got on the plane yesterday and made our way down I was thinking I’ve been coming down to Charlotte to sit in a room to sit in a live recording to sit in a Revival all these kind of services for I think about 18 years now and and this place I know has marked your life um but I want you to know it’s so deeply marked my life there’s been so many turning points so many moments I know we could all give our own testimony of how it was a word it was a song it was it was something that carried you in a season it’s something that caused you to make a decision and and that only happens because two people with a vision said yes to God laid it all on the line come on can we put our hands together and thank God for our pastors what a gift they are to the body of Christ are you ready for the word of God today you ready let’s go W you have a seat tell somebody beside you I’m glad you set by me glad you set by me I bring greetings from uh the great state of Virginia that is showing off right now it’s fall in Virginia it doesn’t get much better and uh My Wife Tammy our four kids that’s a lot y’all and um we’re grateful for them most days and I’m kidding acts 12 verse5 uh and I was telling chunks earlier uh the later I get in my 40s the smaller the print on my Bible keeps getting I think someone is switching it out so I have to wear these now Acts 12:5 says this it says so Peter was kept in prison but the church was earnestly somebody shout earnestly earnestly praying to God for him so Peter’s in prison but the church was earnestly praying to God for him I want to bring a message entitled how to handle a setback how to handle a setback let’s pray together father we have our hearts and Minds open we pray Holy Spirit speak to us we haven’t come just to do Church we’ve come that we might hear from heaven so we believe you’re word has the power to change us and transform us and so do that in these moments we ask this in jesus’ name everybody said amen amen so I was thinking the other day about Middle School some of you thinking why would you do that to yourself but I was thinking about uh I grew up in East Tennessee and um and we I went to this Middle School called lynview middle school and I I don’t know how it is today it’s not like this in my kids school so I don’t know if it is across the board but um in East Tennessee football was everything because the town was so small we had nothing else to do so we might as well watch football all right and so Middle School football is on Thursday night and after every Thursday night football game there was a dance every home game and uh it was it was less like a dance and more like a standoff it was like guys on one side of the gym come on you with me girls on the other side of the gym and you just kind of stood there and stared at each other there was always a few brave people that got out in the middle but that was not your boy here um but there was this girl I had a CR Rush on and I was like this is the moment this is my moment I’m going to go over I’m going to ask her to dance and that was even a big step for me cuz I grew up in a very um conservative denomination church and I was I was for sure that I’d have to go get repentance for the dance but it was worth the try are y’all trying like it was worth the experiment and so walked all the way over the long walk all the way over to the other side of the gym and um went up made the request I don’t even remember what I said I think I kind of blacked out and and she uh graciously declined thank you thanks a lot of counseling later I’m over it but I appreciate the sympathy and so then I make the W long walk back right to the other side to uh trash talking from guys who realized that I got rejected for the dance invitation and and just in my middle school life that was a major setback hello somebody major setback in my social climate in in my personal identity self-esteem you know all those major setback and how many of you know that life is full of setbacks if you’ve lived any bit of life at all you know that life is full of of setbacks it’s it’s moments where you feel like I’m taking five steps forward and then it feels like sometimes it’s eight steps backwards it’s I feel like I’m I’m things are going well and then it’s the phone call out of nowhere and you feel like wow there’s a major setback it’s it’s the relational issue where you felt like man we were getting traction and now feels like a major setback in life and life can be full of setbacks and I would propose that the text we just read is a major setback in the New Testament Church now can we go to Sunday school for a minute okay few of you that’s great confidence is real high right now all right so here’s what’s happening in the in the context of what we just read in Acts 12:5 is this is the New Testament Church is growing I mean it’s it’s Gang Busters it’s day one 3,000 people come to faith in Christ and there’s the birth of the New Testament Church what a great launch day right I mean that was a great campus launch like 3,000 in one day here they all are people are getting baptized I mean it’s just people are overflow over overflow it’s going great and then the Bible says they’re being added to their number daily wow I mean not just on Sundays but they’re being added to the number every day of the week people are coming to faith in Christ this movement is growing this thing called Christianity is expanding and in the middle of that it’s disrupting and upsetting all of the religious social political climate of the day they are not all about this new movement that has started called Christianity and so King Herod who is the current King decides he’s going to start eliminating some of the leaders from the church now this is Herod Agrippa the fir am I going too far into Sunday school okay a grip of the first which is the grandson of Herod who was alive when whenever Jesus was born here’s all you need to know about the herods they all crazy y’all all of them they all crazy they all want to kill people they just all a little off in their mind this is that Herod and so he gets James not James the brother of Jesus James the brother of John and he kills him so a major leader in the church in Jerusalem is now dead and the Jews are really happy because it is disrupting everything going on around them are yall tracking so far say Amen so Herod goes okay that grin me favor I want to get more favor with the people and so he goes I’ll go after Peter and I’ll arrest Peter now he arrested them during a week of celebration for the Jewish people so he couldn’t bring them up to trial which the trial would just be a sham and most likely what was happening is Peter was going to have the same fate as James and so this is where we come into the text Peter is kept in prison he’s kept there because the celebration hasn’t ended but the church was pray this isn’t a complex message when you face a setback prayer is a great place to start but I I I want to I want to go a little little word nerd on you for a moment I I loved I really parked on the word but the conjunction but now I grew up in East Tennessee so uh language wasn’t my strongest suit but I do know this about conjunctions is that they bring together two phras phrases that are in contrast to one another some would say some won’t go this far but some would say in contradiction to one another or the second phrase is the exception to the first phrase so that means what’s happening on this side of butt is contradicted or contrasted to what’s happening on this side of but and we see this in the text that it says Peter was kept in prison and there could have been a whole lot of options for the text to say after that it could have said it could have used another conjunction and and said and the church is depressed it’s could have said Peter was kept in prison and the church was beginning to plan the funeral Peter was kept in prison and the church was going under and hiding and sometimes is this not true in our life that the setback comes in our life and our first response is not always to go to God In Prayer often it it is to go down the rabbit hole of the darkest thing that could turn out I don’t know about you but I’m preaching to me today my mind when I get the phone call when I get the bad news in my mind I end up going down the dark Rabbit Hole of how everything could go wrong but the church decided to pray I want to encourage you today that when the setback comes you get to choose what is on the other side of the conjunction that you get to decide what is on the other side of the butt that you can go yeah I got the phone call and it’s not looking good but I serve a god that is greater than any circumstance I’m going through that you can get the the bad news and go this year may not be going the way I want it to but I serve the god of the Breakthrough you get to determine if you want it to be an and or you wanted to be a but the church was praying they could have gone a whole lot of directions but they said no we’re going to we’re going to pray and the Bible says that they were earnestly praying in other words they went to they went to battle on this thing which tells me that they really believed in the power of prayer they didn’t see prayer as the last resort they saw it as the first option that they ran to God first I I’ve I’ve been in situations where I’ve thought to myself I’ve done everything I know to do now I’m going to pray it’s not great for a pastor to say right but no they they beli there was something powerful about prayer they believe that whenever they prayed that heaven listened evidently they believe that whenever they pray that that God moved on their behalf that maybe they believe that Old Testament verse that says the ear of God is not deaf that he can’t hear your prayers nor is his arm Too Short that he can’t reach down and change your situation they believed what Charles Spurgeon said that prayer is what touches the Slender nerve of omnipotence that begins to move in our life that that God actually responds to prayer that I want to shake something up on the inside of you that that goes no no no I may be going through a battle right now but if I’ll call out to God God is able to work on my behalf and they earnestly prayed it it wasn’t it wasn’t a nice little prayer it wasn’t a cute like well-phrased prayer you know what I’m talking about like Lord we just pray that if you might consider please no I have I have this picture in my mind that it’s like ugly cry prey y’all try it’s the it’s the I’m going to I’m not getting up God until you do something kind of prayer there was something that rose on the inside of them I was thinking about this my my wife and our our kids we were years ago went we call them The Bigs and the littles they’re they’re 1715 seven and five same wife just want to clear that for everybody don’t want yall thinking anything posting anything same wife we just took a big break so our school picture this year was senior kindergartner I will live forever my oldest son could bring my grandson to my youngest son’s High School graduation let that sink in y’all some of you like what were you thinking I wasn’t I like my wife I wasn’t thinking okay but we were at this water park when The Bigs were were smaller they call them The Bigs and the littles whenever the big kids were smaller we were at this water park and which which is from the devil in general going to a water park is a family you don’t know what’s in that water I mean I don’t care how much chlorine you put in it but we were there anybody else with me in the house of God come on I felt the Holy Ghost on that some of y’all are like yes I felt that Jesus right we’re at this water park and the kids come over and you know they’re just they’re kids and they run over and they jump on these chairs and uh what they didn’t know is that there was another lady with her kids walking towards those chairs we saw it and and before my wife could get out of her mouth he Kids jump up they were already heading towards those chairs the lady makes some smart comment about it well my wife is a real Christian most days before I could get her like I can’t come on you know what I’m talking about for I could be like let’s act like we’ve been here before something rose up out of her comments came out of her are y’all following me they earnestly prayed something on the inside of them came up out of them and begin to come out of their mouth I’m talking about a Jacob I’m going to wrestle with you until you bless me kind of prayer did you know that the word that is used there earnestly is only used one other time and Luke the author of Acts used it in the book book of Luke’s when it describes Jesus praying In The Garden of Gethsemane this was that kind of prayer th this kind of God I’m not getting up until you touch me God I’m not letting go until there is a breakthrough God I’m not going to stop calling on your name until you move on my behalf can I tell you there are some setbacks in our life that they don’t need some nice little prayer they don’t need some nice little patty cake prayer some little nice little Paul’s prayer they need God I’m getting on my knees on my face and until you touch until the spirit of God shows up until you give me a breakthrough until I feel a release in my spirit God I’m not letting go and some of you instead of pressing in you’ve got stuck because the setback will either cause you to lean in or Shrink away wowow and for some of us we just we just accept the lot in life well this just must be how life is going to be well this just must be how it’s going to turn out for me well some of us we believe the LI of the enemy this is what I deserve and can I tell you that we serve the god that is able to do exceedingly abundantly and above all that we can ask think or imagine so here’s what that means is that if you are if you are only expecting what your imagination can create you are limiting God by the ability of your intellect and my God is not limited by my imagination that’s why Paul said more than I can can ask think or imagine so they earnestly prayed I’m I’m hoping some this Sparks the the spirit of God something on the inside of you that goes no no no I’m going let I’m going to I’m going to let that fire reignite on the inside of me God I’m call I’m I’m going to lean back in like I’ve never some of you you’ve just you’re like well I’ve just given up on the pr no no no no it’s time to re-engage it yes it’s time to lean back into it and go God I’m not leaving you alone amen I’m going to keep knocking and knocking and knocking and knocking and knocking well God what what if God does answer after Knock 10 the knock 11 knock 11 I I think somebody preached the message one don’t stop on six cuz it may be that next knock it may be that next thing that causes the Breakthrough in your life and you know what’s powerful about prayer is is that prayer is get you in agreement with God it gets you in agreement with God there’s real power in agreement agreement means I’m going to have the same opinion as whoever I’m coming into agreement with and I think one of the one of the greatest schemes of the enemy in our life is he gets us in agreement with lies he gets because we live out of the agreements that we make and if he can get us agreeing with him about a situation and I know we’re thinking I would never agree with the devil I don’t think we wake up and we we like make this volitional intentional decision that I’m I’m going to come in agreement with what the devil is saying about my life but enough enough lies spoken over our life we begin to adopt that lie and come in and we begin to align our decisions and our life with that lie and so a back comes into our life and we can begin to believe the negative narrative in our mind that this will never change and how do you know we come into agreement because we stop fighting for the change I’ll never be used God can never use me that way God could never love me that whatever you want to fill in the blank with we begin to to come into agreement with those things and then we begin to live out of that place of agreement instead of agreeing with God and so no long no wonder we don’t see breakthrough in life no wonder we don’t see the miracle that we want to see because God is still working that way and God is still doing those things in the earth it’s because we’ve come in agreement with the wrong things I would like to to break the agreement of the enemy over your life today and go the LIE of the enemy is not not what you should be agreeing with it’s the truth of God’s word but you may be thinking pastor but what I what I see and what is tangible and what is front of me is not great I get that I’m not saying I’m just saying don’t go with what you see go with what God said that you can go with what you see and it’s and it’s challenging in faith because it’s all around you it’s right in front of you I walk into that situation every day or I wake up every morning with that challenge or I I step into that I feel it I see it it’s all around me I I I I get it I get it but there has to be a choice in your mind that goes no no no I’m going to come into agreement with what God has said over me I’m going to I’m going to break any agreement with lies that says this is the end I’m Let me Give an example you could get the diagnosis and go this is the end for me or you could go no I’m going to come in agreement with the word of God that says I will live and I will not die are y’all following me this is why I think I think this is what Paul was getting at in Philippians 3 whenever he said I’m forgetting what is behind me and I’m pressing on one translation says I’m straining towards that which is ahead of me in other words I’m breaking away from some things in my past and I’m pressing towards and he tells us towards the upward call of God in Christ Jesus so My Eyes Are Fixed On The Prize of Jesus and I’m breaking away from some things of my past now think about this Paul’s in a prison in either Ephesus or Rome when he’s writing this and and he has some things to forget does he not I mean do you imagine how many times that he’s declaring the word of God or preaching the word of God that the enem is like yeah but you killed these people yeah but you tried to destroy the church in your past life and Paul goes no no I’m forgetting what is behind me I am breaking away from this narrative in my life and this may not seem very powerful to you but I want you understand this idea of forgetting so so the biblical idea of forgetting to understand that you have to understand the biblical idea of remembering are yall with me we’re not playing word gymnastics I’m I’m I’m going somewhere okay you have to understand the biblical idea remembering and remembering in the Bible sense isn’t being able to recall facts and figures and and being able to retell a story that’s not remembering that’s being able to recall data if you’re tracking with me say Amen okay that’s just being able to recall the biblical sense of of remembering is this is I dig up something from my history especially where I see the faithfulness of God and I bring it into my present in such a way one scholar said that it has potency in my current reality or it begins to change my current reality in other words this would be the example in the Old Testament they would build ebenezar they would build stones of remembrance why because they were an oral tradition they passed down stories of God orally to their generation after generation so they could come back to that stone of remembrance and go oh let me tell you what God did for our family in this moment and this would be told in a moment where they needed Faith to be built are you tracking with me this is how it would work for us is that we come to some Crossroads in our life or to some setback or to some painful moment in our life it would be us going whoa time out before I spiral down the path of anxiety and spiral down the path of depression and spiral down the path of everything is going in the wrong direction it’s not going to work out for me this isn’t going to turn out great before that I’m going time out and go wait I’ve been here before the situation looks different the names are different and what I’m dealing with is different but I’ve been in a similar place before and when I was there before I remember that God showed up for me in the middle of this storm that God came through for me in the middle of this storm and I am still standing today and the same God that did it yesterday is the same God that’ll do it today and the same God that’ll do it in all of my tomorrows now here is remembering that when that happens instead of anxiousness peace that passes understanding fills your heart and mind that is it having it potency in your current reality we’re Believers we’re supposed to be different there’s supposed to be a contrast to our life that when the world goes how can you be walking through hell but you have peace in the middle of it how can you be dealing with that tragedy but there is a joy I’m not saying that it’s not painful I’m not saying we are we are we’re just like avoiding reality I say we’re looking to a different reality we’re looking to a kingdom reality we’re looking to a word of God reality and so I am walking I may be walking through chaos but chaos is not in me although it is all around me because I’m remembering the faithfulness of God all right put it in opposite Paul says I’m forgetting what is behind me so any sin of my past mistakes of my past issues from my past things that the enemy is wanting to shame me of Paul is going in the same way that I remember to have potency in my current reality I forget what is behind me and so I’m no longer held or Bound by the issues of my past or Bound by the sin of my past or Bound by the things that people have spoken over me I’m no longer bound by when they walked out and said you’re not worth loving and no one will ever want to be with you I’m not bound by when they spoke death over my life I’m forgetting I am breaking agreement with what is behind me and I’m pressing in to everything that is ahead of me come on put your hands together in the house of God there’s power in [Applause] agreement there’s power in agreement be careful who you agree with be careful what word you come in agreement with just because they said it doesn’t mean you have to agree with it just cuz they spoke it don’t mean you got to listen hello just cuz they posted it don’t mean you need to follow some of y’all need some spiritual Amnesia need some men in black Google it if you don’t know the movie forgetting what is behind for I’m forgetting what I’m coming out of agreement and I’m coming into agreement with the word prayer brings me in prayer is aligning my heart and it may not be the first time you pray it may be the second time you pray but as you seek the Lord in prayer what happens you come more and more into agreement why why do you think we want you in egroups in church and on a volunteer team and get plugged into the community of God here why do we want that cuz sometimes you need some people around you that go no no no what that’s not true no no no no you’re not going this is not the end for you no no no no you need some people that when you’re like I don’t even feel like getting out of bed right now they’re like I will come drag you from your house and I will bring you to campus I will come set by you I will grab your hand when you can’t pray I’ll pray for you because you need some people why cuz the Bible says in Matthew 18 when two or three are gathered and they touch and agree why because there’s not only Power in agreement with God there’s power when I come in agreement with people around me there’s power in your agreement now here’s where we suck the shout out of the room because there would be no reason to pray if Paul hadn’t have been in prison it was actually the pain of prison that purposed the church to pray so if everything had have been going Rosy in the New Testament Church I propose the church wouldn’t have learned to pray the way they prayed that’s great now I’m not saying that God put Peter in prison because I don’t believe it’s in the character of God but I do believe that God has a way of working all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose it was the pain that elevated their prayer to a new level it was the pain of prison that that gave them a muscle that they did not have before in faith and some of you you’re looking at pain right now in your life going God why are you doing this to me and I would want to reframe the question what is God wanting to do for you that that sometimes we put the wrong frame around it and when we frame it wrong we see it wrong recently my wife and I went on we celebrated 20 years married and we went on yeah thank you you should applaud for her she’s stuck with me um we went we went on an anniversary trip and we were going to the we were visiting these museums and we had this guide and uh the guide was taking us through and I’m guys I’m I would like to be more cultured and I’m pretty simple give me some barbecue and college football and let’s call it a day like I’m good to go but we went in all these art galleries and I mean it was it was pretty amazing but the way the the guide was framing it for me like actually made me interested in what I was seeing and so she’s like these are one of a kind you’ll never see it’s was Michelangelo we’re going to see some Da Vinci I was like all right I’ve heard those names [Laughter] and so we walk in there and I’m I’m walking slowly I’m like yeah look at the use of color I have no idea I don’t know what I’m saying I mean who says that I’m like yeah look at look at that’s that’s from Renaissance period right there it’s it’s amazing take the guide away take the framing away I’d have walk through there and been like I’ve seen that at Target come on somebody body else with me like i’ have been like I’ve seen that before it was a Hobby Lobby I don’t know who that guy is but what happened she set it up with a different frame for me are you tracking with me can I set up the pain of prison in a different frame for you that just maybe what you’re seeing as God why are you doing this to me and that’s the language you say why is this happening to me why is this thing coming to me no no maybe God is doing something for you maybe there’s a muscle of faith that God is wanting to build and he’s capitalizing on what seems like a painful situation in your life to grow something deeper on the inside of you so that you can handle a more weight could it be that God sees so much potential in your life and sees so much for you down the future because our God is outside of time you’re tracking with me he doesn’t have a beginning and he doesn’t have an end so he doesn’t live within time he lives outside of time and so he is standing outside of time watching the day you were born and the day you die at the same time and he’s outside could so could it be that he knows right now in this momentary moment where you are dealing with this pain he’s going yeah but but 6 months from now I’m about to do something in their life that will blow their mind but before they get to there I need to grow something in here I need to grow some car could I propose that that character grows really good in pain can I say that faith gets a muscle you never had when you’re you’re walking through something challenging could I say that there’s something developed on the inside of you that just maybe without it wouldn’t be developed and then you wouldn’t be prepared for the blessing God wants to put into your life it was the pain of prison that brought the church to pray could we frame it different could you see it different oh God you’re not doing this to me there’s something you’re doing for me in this because God is moving you from Victory to Victory the only problem is we we don’t know how long two is Victory two we want it to be Victory to Victory my experience sometimes it’s victory too Victory come on somebody the text goes on to say this says the night before Herod was to bring him to trial Peter was sleeping Between Two Soldiers which is fascinating to me bound with two chains and centes stood guard at the entrance there there were there were um there were actually 16 guards over him they must have been really scared of Peter and it says sudden suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light Shone in the cell and he struck Peter on the side and woke him up quick get up he said and the chains fell off Peter’s wrist and then the angel said to him put on your clothes and sandals and Peter did so wrap your cloak around you and follow me and the angel told him and and Peter followed him out of the prison but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening he thought he was seeing a vision Peter’s like in that moment between um awake and asleep you know what I’m talking about it it’s that it’s that moment like when your preschooler walks in and stands at the side of your bed quietly that’s so true it I’m I’m preaching right now and you’re like I rebuke that devil then they’re then they’re like Dad I’m like oh I’m sorry theoretically heard that happens they passed the first and second guards and came to the Iron Gate leading to the city open for them by itself and they went through it and when they had walked the length of one street suddenly the angel left them he’s like you got to go from here Peter this is so interesting to me that the the two responses to to setbacks are to pressure think about this the church is under pressure but Peter is too he’s actually the one in Chains the the church is is in duress and they go to praying Peter’s in duress and he goes to sleeping I think they’re both great responses to a setback yes there is time to lean in and pray but there’s also time to rest in the sovereignty of God have you ever felt that way that you’re stuck between two things life is never as simple as we make it it’s never one issue I’m dealing with it’s it’s I’m chained between betrayal and unforgiveness wow I’m CH I’m chained between lack of Direction and I got friendships that are falling apart it’s rarely that we’re dealing with one thing and Peter is stuck and he’s he’s chained in between two different things and in the middle that the Bible says that he’s sleeping I mean think about this like like put yourself in that situation I don’t think I would be sleeping and there was no Xanax there there’s no NyQuil there’s no come on Advil PM thank you Jesus the Christian one I don’t take drugs I just go to sleep with Adil [Laughter] PM there’s none of that but Peter is asleep in the middle of it and I started asking myself how in the world was Peter sleeping in between two guards chained knowing what happened to James he had to know the next morning this isn’t a real trial I’m probably going to be murdered but he’s sleeping here’s what I feel like the spirit of God said to me is that why would I be awake at night worrying about tomorrow when God was already there why why would I be worrying right now and losing sleep when God is in all of my tomorrows and if God is already in my tomorrow then he’s already taking care of what I can I just encourage somebody today some of you got a conversation tomorrow you got to have some of you don’t know what you’re walking into tomorrow can I tell you the god that is all places at all times is already in all of your tomorrows that he’s already been there he’s already seen the conversation he’s already dealt with the situation and if he can be trusted in your today he can be trusted in all of your tomorrows so why stress why worry why be overwhelmed in the middle of it Peter was sleeping in between two soldiers cuz I think Peter was like God’s already there God’s already got me can I tell you God’s already got you that if he knows the the hairs on your head don’t you think he’s got those things that are worrying you don’t you think he’s in the middle of the setback that you’re facing right now if he can be trusted Ed with your salvation can he be trusted with your finances if he can be trusted with your eternity can’t he be trusted with your child if he can be trusted with the Forgiveness of your sin can’t he be trusted with that roommate situation that is wearing you out worrying you he’s already in your tomorrow why should I be up worrying about it we’ll ask the the band to come out and join me so he says that he the angel kicks him or strikes him I don’t know what he did I just picture he’s like get up Peter and then he says he walks past all the guards and and he gets out in the street and then he is able to take off by himself I want I want to point this thought out to you that Peter didn’t Escape Peter was delivered there’s a big difference in the two that if Peter had escaped that would have been Peter’s doing and sometimes when we Face a setback that is our approach I need to pay my way out of this I need to network my way out of this who can I talk to who can I see I mean some of us would have been like Peter was kept in prison and the church was lobbying thecal local political leaders and the church was out talking to everybody and the church was posting about it and the church was trying and and raise awar I’m for I’m I’m not against any of that I’m just saying their approach was to go to God to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and then all these other things that you’re worrying about will be added unto you as well but if Peter had escaped then Peter could have end back in the situation he was in but when God delivers you then God will cause you to right walk right past the people that and chained you and prisoned you up and you will be let me say it this way whom the sun sets free is free indeed are you tracking with me I just want you to when you face a setback don’t seek to escape it seek God deliver me out of this God I want you to do this because if you get the chains off of me I don’t have to pick the lock and try to figure it out myself God if you will get the chains off of me you will open the door if you open the door I can walk right past the critic I can walk right past the person that was trying to set me back I can walk right pass them all because the angel of the Lord is with me and I will es be delivered but not escape from it I wanted God to move on my behalf and so the end of the story is this he goes back and he um talks he he goes and knocks on the door where they’re all Gathering and they’re all praying and the servant girl comes to the door she didn’t even open it she runs back and she’s like I heard Peter’s voice out there and uh and they come back and they’re like it couldn’t be [Music] I just love the humanity God gives us in the Bible they’re praying these great people of Faith earnestly praying Peter’s at the door there’s no way God’s answered our prayer that’s what they’re saying be encouraged today if you feel like you got a mustard seed of Faith that’s enough he says I I I that can’t be him and then they said this which is telling they said it must be his ghost now in that time they believe that that your spirit remained for 4 days after your death this is why Jesus waited to go to Lazarus tomb to make sure they knew he was dead dead they believed that so what they were saying is they must have already killed him and now his Spirit has come and then they knock on the door he knocks again they finally open it and then they Rejoice that God has answered their prayer here’s what I want to leave you with the same God the same God that got Peter out of prison is the same God that is working in your life today the church didn’t have some specific system of prayer that got God to listen to them and move on their behalf they didn’t have the right words that they stream together in the right sentence they didn’t have some golden ticket they just had an Earnest prayer before God and God heard their prayers and I want you to know today that if you will earnestly pray before God God hears your prayers and God will move on your behalf because he’s a God that loves you and is for you and the same God I want you to hear this the same God that parted the Red Sea is the same God that is working in your life today that our God’s arm is not too short to reach into your situation the same God that was cloud cloud by day and Fire by night is the same God that is working in your situation today and the same God that took down Goliath with a little rock is the same God that is working today and the same God that said Lazarus get up out of that tomb is the same God that is working today and the same God that cus Jesus to Rise Up from the grave is the same God that is working today and so while you’re praying why don’t you get praising that the same God that did it for them will do it for you too you can pray and you can praise cuz it’s the same God it’s the same God and I don’t know what you’re facing today and I don’t know what you’re dealing with I don’t know what has you overwhelmed but I do know this that Peter was kept in prison but the church prayed and when the church prayed all of Heaven moved and that same God will do it for you today come on do you believe the word of God today every head bowed every eye closed at all of our campuses you know for some of you the the greatest prayer you could ever pray is the prayer that says God I Surrender my life to you it’s the greatest prayer it’s the prayer that says I’m far from you my sin has separated me from you but I want relationship with you I want to know you personally not know about you not check a box I want to know you personally the Bible says if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord that means I’m done calling the shots God I’m surrendering to you and we believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead that’s the resurrection then we will be saved we can have a brand new beginning today and some of you today you need to come back to God or maybe today you need to begin a brand new relationship with him we’re going to pray in just a moment together as a church family for those who are taking this step today and no one prays alone if you say that’s me I need I need a fresh start today I need a new beginning the Bible says if anybody’s in Christ they’re a new creation God can make you new today today can be a day of brand new beginnings so let’s pray this out loud across all of our locations our eam just say Jesus I Need You I I ask you to forgive me I ask you of all my sin I believe you died for me I believe you died I believe God raised you from the dead I believe God raised you from the today I make you my Lord and Savior today I make you my lord and thank you for a brand new beginning thank you for a brand new in Jesus name in Jesus amen amen come on if you made that decision today will you just slip your hand up on every campus you’re coming back to God today hey thank you for watching the Elevation Church YouTube I want you to subscribe that way you can know when we go live and post new content make sure leave me a comment let me know what spoke to you today where you’re watching from and what we can pray for you about and if you’d like to support the ministry financially you can click the give button now and help us continue reaching people around the world for Jesus Christ thanks again I’ll see you next time