Looking For Your Purpose? | Steven Furtick

Don’t let unexpected obstacles make you bitter. Instead, ask God how He wants to use what you’re going through for His purpose. This is an excerpt from “God Can Use This Too.” To watch the full message from ‪@elevationchurch‬, click here:    • God Can Use This Too | Pastor Steven …   #faith #peace #hope #stevenfurtick #elevationchurch Chapters: 0:00 – When It Doesn’t Feel Like A Gift 2:45 – You Can’t Build Without Getting Bit 4:59 – Why Am I Really Here? 7:49 – God Can Use This Too 10:32 – Shake It Off 12:28 – Bit But Not Bitter Scripture References: Acts 28, verses 3-5

I’ve been asking God why He put me here. I’ve
been asking God to use me in this season of my

life. I’ve been asking God to show me a purpose.
I’ve been asking God to turn it around. I’ve been

asking God to make this situation new. I’ve been
asking God to reveal to me why it’s been so hard.

Sometimes you don’t get to the
thing God wants to do because

you do not recognize what has been
brought into your life as a gift.

Wait a minute. Paul got warmed by the fire,
and then the same thing that warmed him

wounded him. Have you ever been warmed by a
thing one minute and wounded by it the next?

The more warmth a relationship gives you,
the greater the potential it can wound you.

The more passion you have, the more susceptible
to certain temptations you will be. The more

creative you are, the more constrictions
will try to keep you from creating. That

was a powerful thought for me. He’s standing by
the fire, and it’s warming him. Then the same

fire that one moment was bringing him warmth
brought him a wound. Now let’s read about the

wound for a moment. We may never know if Paul
was doing too much by putting wood on the fire.

It sounds like the islanders had it pretty
well taken care of, and Paul was like,

“I’m not just standing around. This is
ridiculous. I’ll make this fire higher.” See,

he’s not native to the island, so he’s doing
something he doesn’t naturally do. Remember,

he’s good with words, not wood. Sometimes,
when you step out of your comfort zone and

try to do something you’re not naturally good
at doing… Look at what happens in verse 4.

Out of the heat came a viper, a snake. The
Bible says it fastened itself on his hand.

Verse 4 is the one I really want you to
look at. “When the islanders saw the snake

hanging from his hand, they said to each
other, ‘This man must be a murderer…'” Now,

what we know, because we’ve already read
to the end of this story, is the one

they’re calling a murderer is actually
going to heal all of their sicknesses.

So, the man they’re calling a murderer is actually
carrying their medicine. The one they were calling

a murderer, the one that they were saying,
“This is a proof of divine disfavor…” They

saw the snake. Track with me. He crashes on
an island God has called him to, but nobody

knows that yet. He’s building a fire, and out
of the fire, as he’s building it, he gets bit.

By the way, you can’t build anything
without getting bit. Anything. If you

ever want to start a church and build a
church, you’re going to get bit. Sheep

bite. Not y’all. You want to build a
business? You’re going to get bit. You

want to build a family? You’re going to
get bit. Have you ever heard the phrase,

“Bite the hand that feeds you”? That’s
what it means. Whatever you try to build…

Now, if you sit back and don’t do anything
for God… If Paul doesn’t build a fire,

he doesn’t get bit, but if he doesn’t get wounded,
he doesn’t get warmed. So, what are you going to

do? Spend the rest of your life trying to avoid
being injured, trying to avoid being disappointed,

trying to avoid getting your heart broken?
He’s like, “Man, I wish I could preach to

these people. I could lead them all to Jesus. I
can’t preach, so let me throw some wood on here.”

Then all of a sudden, because he is not
native to this land, here comes a snake.

He doesn’t really know to look out for snakes.
He’s not from around these parts. A snake jumps

up and bites him on his hand, and now the
Bible says they all started calling him a

murderer. “…for though he escaped from the sea,
the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”

Anytime you try to interpret your identity
through an event, you miss. See it? “The

snake bit. He must be a murderer.” “A bad
thing happened. I must be a bad person.” No,

you made a stupid decision. God can use
stupid. There is still time for you to

take what you learned, throw another log
on the fire, and see God use your life.

In verse 5, I think Paul preaches
one of the most powerful sermons

he ever preached, and he didn’t say a word.

The one who changed the world with his
words preached a powerful sermon. See,

when they saw the snake on his hand, they saw it
as a sign. “Ooh, this is a bad guy. God lets bad

things happen to bad people.” When Paul saw
the snake on his hand, he could have thought,

“Of all of the 275 prisoners on this ship who
actually did something bad… You’re going to let

all of these bums who aren’t even helping build
the fire, and you’re going to let the snake…”

Have you ever had a moment like, “Really,

God? Really? They get to get
married before I do? Them?”

The snake bites, and Paul could go, “This? This
is how you reward me for surviving the shipwreck?”

“This is how you affirm me for preaching the
gospel? This is how you want to use me?” See,

I think the reason Paul got bit by a snake…
I’m a little controversial on this. I don’t

think God made the snake bite Paul.
I don’t think the Devil did either.

I think the snake bit Paul because
snakes bite. I know that’s really deep.

While we’re so busy trying to figure out “Why
me?” and “Why this?” and “When are you going

to get me off this island, God…?” I don’t
believe (and I think you can substantiate

it from the New Testament) that Paul was just
waiting to get off the island. I believe he

showed up with a question. “Why am I
really here? Why am I really on this

job? Why am I really in this season?
Why am I really having this conflict?”

Not only why but, “God, how do you want to
use this?” Now, it’s one thing to want God

to use your words. Paul was used to that, but
this was different. When the snake bit him,

he shook it off into the fire and suffered
no ill effects. Isn’t that amazing?

Paul wanted a way to show them how great God was,
and God knew Paul couldn’t speak their language,

but he knew everybody on that island
could speak snake. I’m about to help you

understand how some of the stuff you’re
going through is not something God did,

but it’s something he wants to use. The
sooner you decide, “God can use this too…”

That’s the whole lesson today. If I’ve confused
you talking about barbarians and boards and winds,

if I’ve confused you talking about
snakes and prison cells and pens and

pulpits… If all of this rhetoric
has done nothing but confuse you,

I want you to realize at the time when
Paul could not use words to preach,

God gave him something that speaks louder than
words. His wounds spoke louder than his words.

When they saw him get bit and he shook
the snake off… Something bad happened,

but after something bad happened, Paul did
not debate with the snake. He learned that

from Genesis, chapter 3. You don’t
talk to snakes. You don’t speak to

stuff that’s beneath you. You don’t argue
with stuff that’s trying to kill you. You

don’t reason your way out of shame and
condemnation. You shake that stuff off.

Sometimes Paul would use
his words. He would speak,

and people would be saved. He would speak,
and people would be healed. He would speak,

and people would understand. It’s wonderful
that God used Paul’s words in such an unusual

way with such an unusual gift, but now he is
in a situation where his words will not work.

If you have faith to believe it, here’s what
I think the text proves. God knew that of all

the other prisoners on that island, there was
only one out of 276 who still had enough faith

after the shipwreck. “If I let this snake bite
him… I’m not going to send a snake to bite him.

Life just happens.” I’m not saying God is
punishing you or God caused it. It doesn’t

matter, because even if God didn’t do
it, he can use it. He can use this too.

Paul took that snake and said, “Oh, this.
I’ve been asking God for a way to reach

these people since we got on this island.”
“I’ve been asking God why he put me here.

I’ve been asking God to use me in this season
of my life. I’ve been asking God to show me a

purpose. I’ve been asking God to turn it
around. I’ve been asking God to make this

situation new. I’ve been asking God to
reveal to me why it has been so hard.”

“So, this must not be a snake; this must be
a microphone, because I’m about to preach

this gospel of the power of God.” I know
you want God to use you in a certain way.

I know you want him to get you there on the ship.
I know you don’t want the business to fail. I know

you don’t want your kid to flunk the class. I know
you don’t want to carry the illness in your body.

I’m just saying that snakes bite because
snakes bite, but God knows how to turn

a snake into a sign. Now, a few days later,
Paul gets a dinner invitation after he shook

that snake into the fire. Everybody you
walk past who’s coming in for the 11:30

today… When they walk past you, just
do that. Give them a little preview.

When they look at you kind of
funny or they want to fight you,

just look at them and keep walking. Come
on. You have some stuff you need to shake

today. When you do, it’s going to be the
loudest sermon your life ever preached.

I’m telling you right now if Paul would
have started using his speaking gift in

this moment to argue with the people who were
saying he was a murderer, he would have died.

Isn’t it crazy how if he would have used
his primary gift it would have gotten him

killed? His primary gift was words, but
God said, “Your words won’t work in this

situation. I need to trust you enough to give
you a wound.” When God really wants to reveal

who he is, he gives a wound. Then the
decision comes. Will you use the wound?

The snake didn’t shake Paul’s faith.
Paul’s faith shook that snake. He knew

which one could be bit and not be bitter.
I believe that for some of the precious

people God has given me to preach to. The
miracle isn’t that you didn’t get bit;

it’s that you didn’t get bitter. I know you’ve
been bit. Oh, so when you were worshiping today,

you were lifting bit hands. I almost didn’t
notice. I almost didn’t see your bite mark.

This dude named

Publius, the head man on the island, a few days
later says, “Bring a prisoner to have dinner

with me.” No, no, no. That’s not what important
people… Do you think Publius said, “Bring me a

killer. Bring me a prisoner”? No, no, no. He said,
“Bring me a preacher.” No, no, no. He didn’t know

Paul was a preacher, because they couldn’t
understand his language, but he spoke snake.

He said, “There was a guy who got bit and
didn’t die?” “No, it was crazy. It was BA.

He just shook it.” BA, bold and assertive.
“He just shook that thing right off,

and he just kept right on standing there.” Publius
said, “I want to have dinner with him.” Let me ask

you a question. If Paul didn’t survive that snake,
do you think he would have gotten that invitation?

So, what is it that you’ve been
through that God gave you that

your bite marks become a passport to your purpose?