May 31st, 2026- Focus: Focus Your Future- Pastor Corey J Hodges

Devotional

Day 1: Releasing the Familiar Pain for Unknown Freedom

The Israelites preferred slavery’s certainty to wilderness uncertainty. We often cling to known hurts rather than embrace God’s unseen blessings. Trauma can trick us into believing familiar chains are safer than uncharted freedom. But God’s plans require releasing what once defined us to grasp what He’s preparing. Healing begins when we stop romanticizing Egypt’s pots of meat and fix our eyes on Canaan’s promise. Trust grows in the tension between what was and what could be. [01:05:20]

“They said to Moses, ‘If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.’”
(Exodus 16:3, NIV)

Reflection: What familiar pain have you been clinging to as “safe”? How might God be inviting you to trade that comfort for His wild, liberating unknown?

Day 2: Trading Lentil Stew for Lasting Birthrights

Esau swapped his inheritance for momentary hunger relief. We too sacrifice eternal promises for temporary fixes—relationships, habits, or compromises that dull today’s ache but steal tomorrow’s joy. God’s future requires valuing delayed blessings over instant gratification. Every “right now” decision either nourishes destiny or drains it. What we crave in weakness often costs more than we realize. [01:11:46]

“Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!’... Jacob said, ‘Sell me your birthright now.’... So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob.”
(Genesis 25:29-33, ESV)

Reflection: What “red stew” temptations drain your spiritual inheritance? Where do you need to let hunger deepen trust rather than trigger compromise?

Day 3: Silencing the “I’ve Got This” Deception

Joshua’s men assumed Ai would fall without God’s strategy. Pride whispers we can handle life’s battles through past successes or human wisdom. But future victories require daily dependence, not yesterday’s playbook. True strength lies in admitting “I need direction” rather than masking insecurity with false confidence. God’s plans flourish when we trade self-sufficiency for surrendered obedience. [01:15:46]

“When they returned to Joshua, they said, ‘Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.’”
(Joshua 7:3, NIV)

Reflection: Where has overconfidence replaced your need for God’s battle plan? What situation requires you to say “I don’t got this” today?

Day 4: God’s Blueprint Over Our Whiteboards

Steve Jobs kept refining iPhones despite early flaws. God similarly works through incremental obedience, not perfect plans. Our future isn’t a spreadsheet to control but a walk of daily adjustments. Like Apple’s persistent tweaks, spiritual growth happens through small “yeses” to God’s edits. Release the pressure to have it all figured out—His timeline transforms glitches into glory. [44:07]

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
(Isaiah 55:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: What “life blueprint” do you need to erase so God can redraw it? Where is He asking for trust in His draft rather than your final copy?

Day 5: Walking When Walls Still Stand

Jericho’s walls fell after seven days of faithful circling. Peter walked on water by fixing his gaze, not his circumstances. Futures are built through present-moment faithfulness—showing up when outcomes are unclear, healing is partial, or dreams feel distant. Victory comes not in avoiding storms but in taking the next obedient step through them. [41:34]

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
(Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

Reflection: What “wall” in your life requires you to keep circling in faith? How can you fix your eyes on Christ rather than the storm today?

Sermon Summary

Jeremiah speaks into exile with a clear word from God. “For I know the plans I have for you,” God says, “plans to prosper you… to give you a hope and a future.” The text does not come smiling from easy days. It rises in Babylon, when home is far and tomorrow looks dim. God takes the subject of the future out of human hands and keeps it in his own. The call lands simple and sharp: if the future belongs to God, the church must stop trying to control every little step and let God order the steps.

God’s promise stands good even when the path feels rough. The refrain keeps ringing, “God’s plans are still good.” The future God holds requires three releases. First, the past cannot drive. Israel shows how a backward gaze distorts reality. In Exodus 16, slavery starts looking like comfort food. That is ambiguity aversion at work, the pull to prefer known pain over unknown possibility. The warning lands plain: don’t trade God’s possibilities for familiar pain.

Second, the present cannot boss the future. The sunk cost illusion keeps people investing in what is draining them simply because they have already invested. Esau makes that mistake with a bowl of lentil stew. His appetite shouts louder than his inheritance, and he hands tomorrow to the craving of the moment. The church must guard the birthright by starving the appetite that wants the steering wheel.

Third, pride cannot be the navigator. Joshua’s camp treats Ai like a layup and gets laid out. Pride often sounds modest, “I got this,” but it still centers self. God’s word cuts through the illusion: his thoughts are not human thoughts; his ways are higher. When doors close, as in a three‑vote “no,” God is not failing the plan; God is re‑routing to better. Utah can be God’s yes when pride wanted a hometown crown.

This future is not self-help or bigger dreaming. This is daily walking with God, one foot in front of the other, like a brother rehabbing after a stroke who prayed, crawled, called 911, and is now on his feet. Step by step, God leads. Because Jesus lived, died, and rose, the past does not define, the present does not control, and pride does not have to destroy. God knows. God pilots. God’s plans are better than ours. “For I know the plans…” belongs on the tongue and in the bones.

Key Takeaways

1. God already knows your future [53:26] God’s “For I know” anchors hope when nothing feels predictable. The future is not built on guesswork but held by the One who sees the end from the start. Rest is possible when the knower of tomorrow is trusted today. Control loosens when confidence shifts from plans to the Planner. [53:26]
2. Don’t trade possibility for familiar pain [01:03:20] Ambiguity aversion makes bondage look safer than deliverance because the rules of pain are familiar. Israel’s nostalgia for Egypt shows how memory can sweeten chains into comfort. Freedom requires tolerating holy uncertainty with God. The move forward starts by refusing to let the past sit in the driver’s seat. [63:20]
3. Refuse appetites that bankrupt inheritance [01:08:29] Sunk cost and raw appetite talk loud in the moment, like Esau eyeing stew. Urgency can costume itself as wisdom and push a person to sell tomorrow for a quick yes. Naming the appetite breaks its spell; feeding the promise, not the craving, protects the birthright. Patience becomes spiritual warfare for the future. [68:29]
4. Let God pilot, not co‑pilot [01:15:46] Pride shrinks prayer and inflates assumptions, as at Ai. God’s higher ways often arrive as closed doors that spare smaller stories. Surrender is not passivity; it is active alignment with the One who orders steps. When God flies the route, detours become delivery paths. [75:46]
5. Walk it out, step by step [48:34] Faith is not a leap into fog but a cadence of daily obedience. A wounded body learning to walk again pictures a soul trusting again. Small faithful steps become God’s runway for tomorrow’s strength. Hope grows in the rhythm of today’s yes. [48:34]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:28] - Focus series recap
[33:27] - Big idea: stop controlling steps
[35:17] - God’s plans are still good
[42:59] - Keep moving forward: Apple analogy
[45:46] - Not self-help, daily walk with God
[49:26] - What God says about your future
[57:13] - God’s plans are better than ours
[59:42] - Barrier one: the past
[63:20] - Known pain vs unknown freedom
[67:50] - Barrier two: the present and sunk costs
[69:49] - Esau’s appetite vs inheritance
[74:32] - Barrier three: pride
[76:26] - Closed door, better road
[80:02] - Call to trust Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Observation Questions

In Jeremiah 29:11, God speaks to Israelites in exile. What specific promises does He emphasize about their future?
The sermon mentions how the Israelites in Exodus 16:3 preferred slavery’s “known pain” over freedom’s uncertainty. What did they say to Moses, and why was this contradictory to God’s provision? [01:01:53]
How did Esau’s immediate hunger in Genesis 25:29-34 lead him to devalue his birthright? What does this reveal about prioritizing present desires over future blessings?
In Joshua 7:3-4, the Israelites assumed victory at Ai would be easy. What consequence followed their prideful self-reliance? [01:15:46]

Interpretation Questions

Why might the Israelites in Exodus 16:3 have romanticized their past in Egypt despite God’s ongoing miracles? How does this mirror the human tendency to prefer familiar pain over unknown freedom?
Esau traded his birthright for stew. How does this story illustrate the danger of letting temporary appetites dictate eternal decisions? What modern parallels exist?
The sermon warns that pride often sounds modest (“I got this”) but still centers self. How did Joshua’s assumption about Ai reveal misplaced confidence? [01:14:32]
Jeremiah 29:11 was spoken during exile. How might this context deepen our understanding of trusting God’s plans amid disappointment or uncertainty?

Application Questions

What “known pain” (a habit, mindset, or relationship) have you clung to because its familiarity feels safer than stepping into God’s unknown freedom? How can you actively release it this week? [01:03:20]
Esau’s hunger blinded him to his inheritance. What present craving (emotional, relational, or material) is shouting louder than your spiritual birthright? What step will you take to “starve” that appetite? [01:08:29]
The sermon compares pride to assuming “I got this” without seeking God. Where are you relying on your own plans instead of surrendering to His higher ways? [01:14:32]
The pastor shared a story about a closed door (a “no” vote) leading to a better path. When has a disappointment or “detour” in your life later revealed God’s redirection? How does this shape your trust today? [01:16:26]
Jeremiah 29:11 says God’s plans include “a future and a hope.” What daily practice (prayer, Scripture, gratitude) could help you walk step-by-step in that truth instead of fixating on control? [48:34]
The sermon warns against the “sunk cost illusion” (staying in unhealthy situations due to past investment). What relationship, job, or habit have you kept investing in despite red flags? What would it look like to release it? [01:07:50]

Sermon Clips

29s

“``You can't do this by yourself though. You need Jesus. You cannot do it on your own strength. I don't know who needs to hear this. That's why Jesus came. He lived the life that we could not live. He died on the cross for our sins and rose again with all power in his hand because Jesus rose. Our past does not have to define us. Our present does not have to control us and our pride does not have to destroy us. Our prayer councils are coming up. They're in the front. They're in the back. So today, my friends, trust the savior who already holds your future.”

30s

“God says, I know the plans I have for you. That means our future does not begin with what we can figure out. It begins with the god who already knows. Come on. Give god praise there. The god he already knows. Jeremiah is writing to people who didn't have much hope yet yet yet yet yet god speaks to them through the prophet. God says, god says, god says, and I want you to hear me today. He says, he says, he says, he he says, my plans are better than yours.”

31s

“Write this down. Google this. Put this in your notes. Ambiguity aversion. Somebody going through this right now on the sound of my on the sound of my voice, and you need to hear this. Go and and go get you some therapy and let them tell you about ambiguity aversion like these people in the bible. They want to go back to slavery. Right? This what does it mean? It mean the tendency to prefer a known pain over an unknown possibility. Notice the p's? The the the the they prefer the known pain over the unknown possibility. Why? Because uncertainty feels riskier than the familiar. Let that sink in.”

42s

“That that his birthright being the oldest son mean that he had the inheritance, he had the birthright, he had the blessing, and he was able to command family leadership. But in Genesis 25, Esau comes from the field. He had been working all day. He was hungry, and he was thirsty. In other words, he was vulnerable. He was weak. He was vulnerable. He had the birthright. He had the blessing, but he was hungry. He was thirsty, and and and and and he was exhausted. And in that moment don't miss this. Don't don't don't zone off. I'm almost done. In that moment of his weakness and vulnerability, right, his appetite was speaking louder than his future.”

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