How To Sustain Real Change | Steven Furtick

How To Sustain Real Change | Steven Furtick

This year, don’t just address surface-level issues. Don’t try to fix things based solely on the visible problems you see. Seek the Lord, and ask Him to reveal where the root cause begins. Instead of merely cleaning up messes throughout the year, ask God to show you the true origin of the issue. What appears on the surface often isn’t where the problem truly starts.

(00:29) Jesus taught the Pharisees the importance of understanding the origin of things. He used their offense as an opportunity to talk about where things truly begin, and the outcome that follows. These are the three points I’ll cover today. In case you have to leave early to watch a playoff game, here they are: offense, origin, and outcome.

(00:53) This year, may you take notes in church with the Elevation pen provided by our generous tithers. Here are the three key points: the offense, the origin, and the outcome. The offense began when the Pharisees criticized Jesus’ disciples for eating without following their oral tradition, which required washing hands before a meal. Notice how Jesus flips the situation.

(01:29) Like the Pharisees, we often try to display our righteousness outwardly, making it easier to follow external rules than to cultivate true righteousness through love, compassion, and selflessness. When we focus only on surface-level fixes, we fail to produce lasting change.

(02:01) Jesus always flips the narrative when challenged by the Pharisees. These Pharisees came all the way from Jerusalem, as mentioned in verse 1. These weren’t just ordinary Pharisees—they were the elite, the major leaguers. They asked Jesus, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before eating?”

(02:47) Jesus flipped their question. He replied, “Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” God is asking us which is more important: the traditions of men or the truth of God? This year, it’s time to make that decision.

(03:11) Will we live according to tradition or truth? I challenge you to flip the script this year. It’s easy to live with an invisible belief system that influences our responses and ideas about what’s possible in our lives. But an unquestioned belief system is dangerous.

(03:36) Notice the distinction: the Pharisees speak of traditions, while Jesus speaks of God’s commands. Often, we confuse the two. Sometimes, we give more attention to traditions than to the truth of God.

(04:00) For example, I’ve noticed that people sometimes argue more about disagreements than they collaborate on common goals. Another example: Many of us adopt ways of thinking from our culture or upbringing without ever questioning, “Where did this come from?” It’s a powerful question—“Where did this belief come from? Is this truly from God?”

(04:45) That’s an excellent question to ask as we begin the year. “Where did this belief come from?” The truth is, what we see on the surface often isn’t where the problem originates. We may be following scripts we didn’t even write, influenced by traditions rather than truth. We might think things have to be a certain way or that we are limited by family history or personal circumstances.

(05:24) This is the year to flip it. Instead of allowing my traditions to define my truth, I want my truth to shape my traditions. My life should reflect my values, not merely the habits or beliefs I’ve held up until now. Jesus’ wisdom always invites us to see things from a deeper perspective.