Chad Veach urges students to anchor hope in Christ, avoid 'temporary fix' in social media, substance abuse

Chad Veach encouraged thousands of millennials gathered at the Passion Conference to anchor themselves in Christ in a society that tries to "shake and shatter" hope instead of finding a "temporary fix" in substance abuse and social media.

In his message titled "The Place I Crave," Veach, pastor of Zoe Church in Los Angeles, California, asserted that "whatever you run to in times of trouble is what you trust."

"You got to learn that being a believer is about running to the right thing and running from the wrong thing," he charged. "All throughout the Scriptures it says that we should flee temptation. We should abhor what is evil. We should run away from that which will destroy our life. We run from evil, we run away from bad things, and we run to God."

"When I choose in the midst of my circumstance to run to God, what I am saying to God is, 'God, I trust you," he continued. "I do not trust in this substance. I do not trust in this bottle. I do not trust in this person. I will not get my fix from social media. I don't trust these things. I trust God. I cannot get temporary fixes for what I need, everlasting solution. Only God can fill me. Only God can heal me. Only God can complete me. No boyfriend or girlfriend, no amount of success.'"

Veach, formerly on staff at Judah Smith's The City Church in Seattle, Washington, affirmed that God calls His children to "hide" in His faithfulness: "God will not abandon you," he said. "God will not betray you. God will not turn his back on you ... God's good with my heart. Others can hurt my heart. God is faithful."

"Faithfulness is who He is, and faithfulness is what He does," he added. "We serve a faithful God."

In a broken and battered world, "everything we need" for healing and restoration can be found in God's presence, the pastor contended.

"When I get into His presence, all of a sudden I've got a new found strength," he explained. "When I came in, I felt depleted and I felt exhausted, and I felt tired and I felt overwhelmed. I get with God and ... I feel the comfort of the Holy Spirit."

God also gives His children an "unshakeable hope," Veach said, explaining that "hope has a swagger and arrogance and a confidence not in self, but in God."

Continue reading about Passion 2019 on The Christian Post.