I’m Ready For The Test // Six Figures (Part 4) // Michael Todd

Welcome to Transformation Church Podcast, where we represent God to

the lost and found for transformation in Christ. We're so

glad you're here and wherever you're listening from, we believe

God will transform your life. Did today's message.

Yeah, you said, come on with it. You know what,

there's certain people that you can always come wherever I

preach you hear me, I'm a talkback preacher.

Now, I know we got all kinds of people.

I know some of y'all grew up in churches where

you don't say anything. It's like, but like you can,

like you can use your cultural expression here, like I

just want you to. I just want I mean, don't

offend nobody. But what I'm saying is if you're a

cowboy and I say something that's good, you can be

like yeah, how like you can do that.

Y'all got what I'm saying, Like, I know.

There are some people that grew up in the hood,

and if you grew up.

In the hood, like I'll fight you like.

That's not a that's not that's not that's not bad

to me. If you know the kind of of it,

you understand what I'm saying, so and you can just

use a man in Hallelujah too, Okay, But at this church,

we love freedom of expression. And I'm in week four

of a series that's called Six Figures. And this series

is important to me because it changed my life. I

think about pivotal moments in my journey, and one of

the most pivotal moments that changed and touched every area

of my life is when God taught me how to

not be greedy and actually be generous.

Changed my life.

You don't know the Michael who was stingy, the Michael

who was.

Literally I don't.

Want to say I was a bad person. I was

a unfinished person and I'm still unfinished, but I was

really unfinished. Yeah, yet raw as anybody ever like, just

look back and be like, man, I was raw back then,

like that, Dad, I had no understanding, and.

I thank God for the progression. But today I.

Want to share this from a place of not speculating.

I want to share it from a place of trying

to give you something that has transformed me. And I

know that there will be many people that find value

in this because it has not just changed my life,

has changed this church and there are thousands of you

that already participate in the level of generosity that I'm

talking about. But this is not about money. I need

everybody to hear me say this. If I could just

wear a shirt not about money like I need you

to understand that because some people the block is there

and you won't hear the principle because you think it's

about money. This is not about money. This is about

your heart. This is about your thoughts, this is about

your soul. And so if you can, if I can

make you a promise today, I'm not going to ask

you for any money. I'm gonna asking you for no money.

We're not taking no offerings we've been giving in this series.

I just need you to hear me. Relax, nobody's coming

to spy on your bank account. I don't have a

prophetic sense. That's oh, she's in the negative. I don't.

I there's nothing I can do to you except present

to you truth and then you choose.

So today, look at your neighbor and say you choose.

I'm not gonna make you choose. Look at your other

neighbors you didn't like as much, and say you choose. Proverbs,

Chapter eleven, verse twenty four. The Bible says the world

of the generous. One of my favorite scriptures. The world

of the generous gets what larger and larger, but the

world of the stingy gets what smaller.

And my question is how big is your world?

I can't answer that question, but you know if your

world is big, and you know if you're world is small.

I'm not talking on the outside. I'm talking about right

on the inside. How big is your world? It says

the one who blesses others, watch, this is abundantly. Here's

our word blessed. And those who help others are always helped.

That's what I want for you, your pastor. If I

had a desire that I could ask God right now

to give to you, I would pray that you live

in abundance of everything you think you need.

Abundance of love, abundance of peace, abundance of wisdom.

I mean, like somebody asks a question and just wisdom

comes out of you.

Somebody shot at me. Abundance.

That's the life that God came for you to have.

John ten ten.

The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, But Jesus

came that we might have life and life abundantly. How

big is your life? And the truth of the matter is,

God's not in control of how big it gets.

You are.

Today you could change the size of your world by

changing a few of your actions. But today you've been

blaming the man. You've been blaming government, You've been blaming

your parents. You've been blaming and they may all have

a little peace to do with that.

But you, forty.

Nine, Let's be clear, nobody has made you who you are.

You came out looking like your parents, You die looking

like your decisions. Daught to hear what I'm saying to

you right now, and some of you need to choose

or decide something different that you don't gotta.

Be mad no more.

You can forgive.

You don't have to be broke no more.

God can give you the ability to produce well. You

don't have to be stingy no more. You can get

You do not have to live the life you have lived.

But it starts with you realizing God has given you

the power to switch this whole thing up. Look at

your neighbor one more time and say you choose. And

So one of the things that is exciting in my

life right now is that right now I'm in the

thick of raising children. Like when I say thick of

raising children I got.

I'm in the thick of it. You understand what I'm saying.

I got children, WHOA I didn't really know how much

time and effort and energy children take. It makes you

need God. Y'all want to know where you need God.

If you have kids, you need God. But there are

some beautiful moments that happen where you feel like, man,

this is why I'm they daddy.

Like.

You know what I'm saying that a lot of mayo Daddy.

So one of those happened to me this past week.

My daughter came in, Isabella. She's so studious, she's so smart,

and she was a little over whamed.

By studying for a test.

She had to learn all sixty six books of the

Bible and for a test and know how to spell them.

It's that second part that just rebecook Malachi like and

and so she she got she got overwhelmed, and I

had this idea. I was like, oh, yeah, daddy does music,

So I'm gonna I'm gonna make you a song that

And so I went to my recorder and I started

Genesis as it is Leviticus, and I started doing this,

and I threw it in the Ai app and and

I made a song. Can I share it with y'all?

It's cool. This is just honest, no spiritual connotation, and

just wanted to share.

It with Chip.

Could you play that real quick? The books are about

this is just an old testament, real quick. Just play

it real quicknous, I mean Joshua and Judges, second sent

your first Kings, second Kings.

First chronic or second chronic to say eza He and Maya.

It's the angel songs, Proverbs and cleasyastes, song songs, Isaiah,

Jebram Byel, Alimentation, Zigiel and Daniel, jose Ye Joel and

Rose but.

Dian Jonah and my Knahoma Bibles, zeph and Nyah and

had Guy Zachariah in malogy. So I did that for

my daughter.

Is that okay?

Now?

Watch now?

Watch Immediately she learned all the books of the Bible.

She got a hundred on a test.

Shout out to Bella, okay. And that's when I realized

that's where our similarities end. Because she was so excited

to take the test, because she was prepared. And then

I started to think, have I ever been excited to

take a test? And she's more like her mother on

the study side of it, and I was like, I

don't think I've ever been excited to take a test.

Usually when I went into.

School test day anxiety. Many times I would come into

class clown a look at you, your mama doing all

that other stuff, and then the teacher is like, all right,

get ready for the test, and my thing would be like,

what tests? Okay?

Come on?

Do I got any what test?

People?

I know you hold on?

What tests? What you talking about?

Did you study? Give me your notes?

I thought about this is that anytime you're tested, watch this,

write this down. A test is either exciting or exposing.

Y'all.

Remember them people who used to be excited for tests

and you want to punch them in the head?

Teacher, Are we taking.

The test now? Or shut up? Boy? Okay, I want

to know those people. Who are those people? Come on,

we love you with the love of the Lord. Why

are you saying this past? I'm like, because a test

is an automatic.

Definer.

A test defines either you're ready or you're resistant. And

there are many people under the sound of my voice

that think tests are bad. But the truth of the

matter is when I dig deeper and I go through

therapy and I do the things that God has done

on me. I figured out why I didn't like the test.

It wasn't the test. It was I wasn't prepared. And

the three times I can count them, the three times

I was ready for a test, I became the person

I didn't like. Hey teacher, how are you? When are

we taking this test?

It's taking a naim.

The only reason you get excited is because you're prepared

for it. And what I found out that there are

many believers that don't know that we take a test

every time we get paid. Oh you saw that turned

you spared everybody. Ah, no, no, no, I'm just letting

you know.

Maybe you didn't know.

But every time you get increased, every time your check

goes up, every time that you chain hits your cash

app or bank account, it's a test. And the test

is who do you trust with your finances?

And maybe you didn't know.

Maybe the issue of money and church it was all

about a building fund that never got built, or it

was maybe about the pastor driving a certain car while

there was no air conditioning.

We ain't talking about none of that here.

I'm talking about a test that God gives to every

one of his children before there was a law.

I can prove to you in.

Scripture that tithing and generosity was litterally twenty five hundred

years before Moses ever got a law.

But it's not even about a law.

It's about are you prepared? Are you ready for this

test when it comes? And the truth of the matter

is people are hearing this message. I'm like, what test?

And then there are other people that are like, oh,

I'm excited about this test every time I get paid.

Because I'm ready for the test. And today I just

need you.

To understand that the tithe exposes who you trust. And today,

Pastor Mike, what do you say in the tithe? I

don't understand. Let me give you a definition of what

the tithe is. Tithing is a biblical principle and practiced

established not by the church, not by a pastor, not

by a group of people who thought it was a

good idea for everybody to do a pyramid scheme and

put a little bit in and be like's. It was

established by God. I'm gonna give you examples of it.

But it was established by God for every person who

trust him to return the first ten percent and underline

first ten percent of your increase back to God through

the local church. Now fight with your mama. No, no, no,

I just need to say this because there are people

who are gonna hear this and they're gonna automatically start

to start trying to tear down the principle God put

in place. You don't ever have to tithe ever, and

you can still go to heaven.

Hold on, look at me.

Your salvation is not dependent on you tithing, so you

can go ahead and relax. But your ability to live

in abundance in this life is dependent watch this, not

on tithing, on obedience. See you missed it. You missed

it because there are people who tied that don't forgive.

Okay, hold on, let me stop.

Because I'm talking about tithing, but I want you to understand.

The principle is bigger than tything. The principle is obedience

to God's word. So there are people who don't tithe,

but they do forgive, and God saying we need to

get both of them. You think we could upgrade to

both of them. But y'all know what, I'm both of them,

not both of them. It's both them. It's one word.

Okay.

Anyway, I'm telling you right now, this is a principle

that God set up not for his benefit. Heaven's not

running short on gold for the streets. You think God

needs our money. He calls gold what we would fight

over in it. It's concrete the light in heaven. It

is not too big for God. Y'all got what I'm saying.

So there must be a deeper reason why He put

this principle in place for the children he made. This

is why I think tithing is so important, because it's

not about percentage, It's about priority. Why two percent?

Why not twenty five?

Why not fifty? Why not a hundred? It's not about

the percentage, It's about priority. And my question to you

is where is God in the priority of your life?

I can't answer that question, and you don't get to

worship your way to him being the priority. Okay, all right?

Why I pray nineteen hours a day, but you disobedient?

Like do you understand? Like we try to substitute stuff

for other stuff.

It's like take out the trash.

Well, I'll clean the toilet, but the trash it's overflowing.

But I cleaned out the cobwebs.

But the josh and.

What do you do you try to teach your children.

It's not about just doing things, It's about doing what

I ask you to do. And I just believe that God.

I'm coming to you as gently as I can to

give you a principle that God's saying, could you just

obey and.

Do what I'm asking you to do?

Because if you make me your priority, it changes everything

in your life. And this is where I hear a

lot of people that are cynical against this message. They'll

be like, but why you got to take that test

all the time?

Every time you get paid every two weeks every month?

What if they just cash map me your extra?

Honey? Do we talk? It ain't my job, but it

is did you get increase? And people try to finagle

and play checkers and try to play tic tac.

Toe with the top? Y'all know what I'm talking about.

I don't know if this is birthday money. Oh, I've

heard everything.

My granny sent me two hundred and fifty dollars. Do

you tie off of two hundred and fifty dollars? Do

you bossed up with two hundred and fifty dollars? Did

you get increased? Did you? God says I need you

to think. Anytime you get increased.

Just honor me. Honor me, just honor me. I promise

you watch this.

Ninety percent with my blessing is better than one hundred

without it. Okay, write this point down. Multiple tests reveals

the value of a material. Anytime something is tested multiple times,

it's because the material must be very valuable. So the

reason God tests us every time we get paid because

He trying to get us a point. This is important

for you, how you deal with money, your heart, posture,

what you do. It isn't Nobody would ever tell a

doctor to go to left school.

Oh you want to be a brain surgeon. Oh, don't

take those tests, but please.

Work on me. Nah, bro, Why because it's so important

that they are tested because what they're doing is valuable.

The reason why God gives us this test over and

over is because what it does to us is very valuable.

And that's why it's the only place in scripture when

you talk about the time where God does something, he

does nowhere else he tells you to test him. What

would happen if I got to go into my ninth

grade geometry class and the teacher said, Michael, today is

your test, and I'm like, yeah, And when I finished

this test, I'm testing you. That would have felt amazing

to be able to say I'm testing you. Did you

do you know what the teacher said? Do you know

what the principal said? Just give you a test back?

Because it's so many times there's there's this discrepancy that

I'm getting tested. But what's the guarantee? God is so

good that his grace says, I believe in this so much,

I'm gonna let you. The Creation tests me. The Creator. Okay,

you don't believe me. Malachod, chapter three, verse ten, Bring

the whole tithe everybody say tithe into the storehouse that

would be our local church, it says, there, so that

there may be food in my house. Watch this test me,

Test me in this, test me in this, says the

Lord Almighty. And see if I won't throw open the

floodgates of Heaven and pour you out so much blessing

that you will not have room enough to receive.

That sounds like abundance to me.

He gonna pour out so much blessing you don't have

room enough to receive. That means you become somebody who's

supposed to give it away. But the truth of the

ma matter is everybody wants stat without the test. And

today I'm telling you one of the greatest things you

can do. I don't care. If you're a high school

student and you get a thirty five dollars allowance. That

means out of the thirty five dollars that you get,

three dollars and fifty cents belong to God. And I'm

telling you, if you learn this principle at thirty five dollars,

it's a lot easier to do when you make three

hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

And I want to be a.

Ball of six figures and to learn you're not gonna

obey God. Then if you don't obey him, it's way

harder to give away thirty five thousand in a check

than three dollars and fifty cents. But the principle is

the same. Okay, all right, somebody's about to get this.

So I just want to let you know all through

the Bible the word tie that actually means test ten. Test. Okay,

So I got a couple of questions. I'm gonna give

you a test right now, and there's a pattern, So

get scared. Okay, you're gonna pass this test. Okay, and

I want you to answer me out loud, even at home. Okay.

How many plagues were there in Egypt? So look, y'all, ten,

there's a pattern. How many commandments did God give to Moses?

Say it with your chest?

How many? Okay?

How many times did God test Israel in the wilderness?

How many times were Jacob's wages changed? It's a pattern,

even if you don't know the answer. The next one

is saying, here we go. How many days was Daniel tested?

How many days of testing were in revelations? How many

disciples were there?

Okay?

Some of y'all all right, okay, some hey's like ten? Oh, God,

get them a Bible. I'm just want to let you

know this is not a principle that God has made

exclusive for today. He's a pattern. To God, he.

Tries to make it easy. So there's a pattern.

So even if you didn't know, you would hear everybody

else saying ten or tithe or give or anybody like, Oh,

I don't even have to study no more. This is

what we do.

Oh my gosh, this is what we do.

I want you to pass the test.

What's the answer yes or no.

Everybody keeps saying yes, yes, Yet we all just do

what God has put as a principle. And when you

understand it, it makes it easy. And this is the

point that I love. God agrees to take the test too,

he said, if you trust me in this world with

ten cents out of every dollar, he said, I bet

you I won't ever fail you financially. Howtor, Mike, why

are you saying it? Because you put me? Everybody say first,

Now again, this is about priority, and I can't tell

you what your priority is.

But when God.

Agrees to take a test too, it changes everything.

And this is what I found.

Only people get offended about a test if there's something

on the inside of.

Them that is not prepared.

Okay, let me give you a real time sample, and

I want you to write this point down. A test

only gets a rise where there is no internal resolve.

I'm gonna say it again and then I'm gonna explain it.

A test only gets rise out of somebody when there

is no internal resolve. I was talking to a friend

recently who dealt with infidelity. Their marriage went through a

really hard time. God healed it, and God has made

it healthy and changed everything. But time to time, the

wife is needing some extra reassurance.

That everything is good. And so.

This man could have two responses, Hey, could you share

your location with me?

Why you mean my location? Don't you trust me?

Yes?

But you cheated on.

Me, like even to this level. Hey, would you take

a polygraph test? Some of y'all marriages would be destroyed,

destroyed with just the question, do y'all the eyes that

are looking at me right now, would you take a polygraph?

You wouldn't get a rise out of somebody if it

was internally, if you know you ain't been DM and nobody,

if you know you ain't had a longer conversation with nobody,

if you know you took off the channel that you

wasn't spoiled, if you knew it, you wouldn't. But the

rise comes because there's something on the internal. There are

couples that don't even have to close today's spouse's phones.

I got questions.

It's quiet, it's tight in here. Okay, let me back

up off of this. Okay, because I knew we were

supposed to watch, sir from my sharks slug.

I see you right now. Let me try to get

you the principal of tiding.

Because people rarely get offended by a test they feel

secure in. If somebody asked me to take a drug test, cool,

I don't have any there there is nothing in me.

Yeah yeah, that could come out of me that I

didn't put in me. Oh gold, there is nothing that

do y'all hear what I'm saying, and so and so

the only reason people and then they try to make

it about what it's not about.

Oh, you don't trust me. I'm a grown man. I'm

a grown woman. I'm just I'm down.

And it's like, hey, you're missing the point. The test

offends if you're internally unresolved. This is why a lot

of people get offended by the tithe, because it's a

test that exposes internal.

I don't trust the church. Let's deal with that. You

said I don't believe in the tithe.

Hold on, wait, God said that? Why did the church

just want my money? Which church did you even give

to to find out if they just wanted your money?

Let's be honest.

Nike just wants your money, like they literally tell you,

do you want to buy it? Just do it? Do

you understand what I'm saying?

Like, what are we talking about.

They tell you straight up, but let's deal with the

real issue. But anytime there's a test, what most people

do is deal with the semantics and the things around

it instead of the real issue. So today I just

want to move the cover back. Don't ever give anything

to this church if God has not called you to

do that and be.

A part of this. But I do want you to

get this principal.

If you actually ever get the mantra, test me, it's

the freest life you could ever live.

Test me, coss the mic. Why are you saying it?

Because I used to be a liar and there would

be things I would lie about that I knew if

I got confronted with it.

That's why I.

Became really good at lying, because I needed to make

sure you didn't need to ask me no questions. I

need to make sure that y'all know some of y'all

liars are in here. Johnny, you make it so that

you even forget what an exhausting life. But when I

got free, Test me, my Michael, where you been?

Where this thing has tracked me to here?

Here?

You need to go.

You need to what why? Because there's nothing on the

inside with the test of tithing, What comes up, what

gets a rise? Is there fear there because you really

don't think God will provide. Let's deal with that. Don't

throw out the principle because there's some pain under it,

Oh God, don't throw out the principle because somebody did

something and abused it in a different season of your life.

Let's deal with it.

You had a bad pastor, Let's let's talk about that.

Let's talk about how you didn't grieve leaving that church

where all your friends were there, but it was toxic

and abuse. Let's talk about that. But let's not take

away the principle that God put in place, because now,

guess what you're passing on disobedience to your children because

they've never seen you do it. A good man, a

good woman leaves an inheritance for his children's children. I

found out you can leave an inheritance of ignorance. Oh God,

y'all not ready to talk to me today. Y'all ever

heard of that story where there was Yeah, y'all heard

about the pan where they cut off the ends of

the ham. And if you ain't heard, I'm gonna tell

you real quick. You want to hear here? Going a

young lady was trying to learn how to cook for

her new husband, and what ended up happening is she

always remembered her mom cutting off the ends of the ham,

and she called her mama and was like, I know

I'm supposed to do this, but I don't know why.

And so she called her mom and was like, mom,

why did you cut off the ends of the ham?

And she said, I don't know, my mama did it.

And she called her mama and said, Mama, why did

you cut off the ends of the ham? She said,

because that's how big the pen was I had. And

so generationally now we are wasting then half a ham

bacon jan like half a ham gone because of ignorance. Church.

What I'm trying to tell you is if somebody could

get this principle and live it out, what you would

see is generational blessing.

On your family and.

Every how many people want generational blessing to come from you. Okay,

so watch this. If you were to take that little

polygraph test and just I'm just being ethereal right now,

I need to tell you something. The response to the

question is as important as the result. Hear what I

just said, Would you take a test to see if

you're lying. H They already answered, we already know. But

if the answer is okay, and where yes, so many

people want the results of hithing. But your response is

telling on you the way you type looking at me

right now, some of y'all crusty right here on your lips.

Just say just do this, do this.

Because because we're talking.

About honoring God with our finances, and what I'm saying

is your response is exposing you. It's not more money,

it's a different heart posture. So I just want to

let you know a few things. Number One, write it down.

Tithing is biblical Lebiticus twenty seven thirty. And all the

tithes of the land, whether the seed of the land

or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's.

It is holy and set apart for the Lord.

So the tithe means it's something that I set apart

first to honor God with. So this is biblical. Give

you one more because you was like that was Old Testament.

New Testament Matthew chapter twenty three, verse twenty three. Won't

to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, church people, for you

pay tithe of Mint and Annis and Cuman these are

all spices back in the day.

It's like saying, you pay tithe of your lawrees and what.

Other seasons a hot saucin or whatever your season it is,

but you neglect the weightier matter of the law, justice

and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done

without leaving the other one undone. So God is saying

to these people you tithed off of the things that

come into your life. Cool, he said, But these other

things you should tithe on too. It doesn't matter what

increase comes to your life. You gotta honor God with it.

So listen to me.

Tithing is biblical. Say it with me. Tithing is biblical.

One more time for the people in the back. Tithing

is biblical. Second one, tithing is practical. Okay, So you

were like, how does this todd thing work? We given

to the church and then y'all fedexit to heaven, Like

what happens? Y'all know, we'll find any excuse. I'm trying

to be very ground level to let you understand this

is not just biblical, it's practical. Kbus Chapter seven, verse eight.

I love the Bible. It says here, when you tie

mortal men receive the tithes regular people. But there when

you do the act, it's accredited or it's received in heaven.

Whom is a witness that he lives. What the Bible

is saying real right here, if you break it down,

is like you give it here, but that exchange got

recorded in heaven, just like unforgiveness gets recorded in heaven. Okay,

just y'all understand what I'm saying. Just like sin. If

you don't believe in this, then you wouldn't believe in

salvation because you're making an act, a heart decision, a

mind decision, to say I am giving my life to God.

You say the prayer according to Romans ten nine, you

believe that he lived and he died, and now you've

been given a new life. There is not a you

don't get world up in your whole world like. It

is a spiritual act that is activated by practical faith.

Tithing is the same thing.

It's a spiritual act activated by practical faith and giving

its practical practice that proves my faith every fifteen days.

Do you know that, according to the calculations of all

people that say they go to church, three percent of

the church tithes. Not this church, No, no, no, no, because

y'all though ultra three percent, No, no, no, no, I'm talking about

that's the people who only come once a year. What

does that say about how the church trust God? Three percent?

That means out of a thousand of y'all, thirty people

trust God. So tithing isn't just biblical tithing is practical

and then watch this tithing is first? Can you bring

my chairs up here real quick? Because y'all don't understand this.

I need three very competitive people. Okay, I'm gonna I'm

gonna take you with the Afro Come on, come on,

I gonna take you sis. I need one more competitive person.

Come on, you stood up? Come on, two afros? Come

on you you come come? Just just put them right here,

all right. I'm gonna need a band, y'all gotta hurry though.

You can't be cool coming down here. I'm gonna pick

somebody else. Come on, come on, what's up? Man? What's

your name? Y? Marion? Your parents was creative with your name?

Like that's like Marion and some other people. Okay, what's

I know you? That jacket is fire? Okay, where's my

last guy? You to being too cool?

Afro?

Come here, man, get up here. Okay, now, stand up,

stand up, Santa. Have y'all ever, what's your name? Bug Jeremiah?

Okay?

Cool? All right, watch this. We're gonna play musical chairs.

Have y'all played musical chairs in a while? Okay?

Cool?

Whoever wins first place gets one hundred dollars. Okay, so

very easily, she said, yes, I can pay for this jacket. No,

just flat.

Okay.

So we're gonna play musical chairs. I need the band

to help me. Okay, So y'all start playing. When you

hear the band, go around and then stop on it?

All right, y'all ready here we go, go this way,

go this way?

Play band?

Do we have band? You was slow coming down here,

and you were slow sitting down. Come on, get off

the stage. God bless you, God bless you. Y'all gonna

get up and take one of the chairs. I knew

he was gonna lose when he came down here. He's

like on competitive and he took nine years to get

out here. I was like, he's not gonna. I love you, Bubba,

get Jeremiah. That is a long walk back. He's like,

oh my god.

Okay, start me up. Man, who y'all think gonna man. Okay, okay, okay.

She's a mother.

She's a mother, she's a mother.

You lost though, Get out of here, j Marie. Give

it up for him. Hold on, hold on, hold on,

hold on, hold on, hold up, hold on, hold on, Sis,

Sis Sis says, Sis, Sis says, come here, come here,

come here, come here, come here, come here. You won right,

here's one hundred dollars. Hold on, wait wait, wait, why

y'all mad? Hold on?

Hold on, wait wait wait he was first, but I made.

Her the priority. No, no, no, no. Now listen, some

of you are offended at me now because who was

clearly first. I didn't honor. I did not honor who

was first.

I honored who I wanted.

And this is the exact way most of you treat

God with the tithe.

You said you gotta give it up.

Oh okay, you can give it to you can give

it to look at it.

He don't know if you want to take it. Give me, y'all.

Okay, now watch now watch, thank y'all so much. Y'all

give it up for him, real quick. God, bless you.

Good job boy. He was first, whether you acknowledged it

or not. The question is, will you honor who already

sits on the throne, and some of us put other

people in those seats. It's the mortgage, it's the credit card,

it's the bank, it's it's the lattes. Now, come on, y'all,

nine dollar coffee twice a day for a year. You

drink your time and have to use the bathroom after it.

I've been teaching my kids, I got a I got

a thousand dollars a year. Why y'all say woo when

I pulled out a thousand dollars woo. Stop. The reason

I'm saying this is because if there's ten one hundred

dollar bills, my question to you is which one is

the tithe? They're all one hundred dollars, But the only

one that's the tithe is the first one.

Because it doesn't take faith to give what's left.

It takes faith to give what's Hey, sis, where are

you at? Come get this.

I want you to see what sparked it. It was her

willingness to give up what was given to her to

honor somebody else.

Let that bless you go by two or three of

them jackets, God hear me, Okay, watch this. The tithe

is the first one that leaves your hand, and practically

God is not up there. It was like you paid,

you paid the groceryveal.

What you're doing?

Are you trying to take the example further? She handing

out hundreds, y'all? Mad, y'all said, on that side, y'all, mad,

you better rejoice with those who rejoice? Did you give

out all of them? Now?

Why you have to go and do that?

Now? Why you have to go and do that?

And do that? All right?

You know when the holy spirits start talking to you,

gotta process a little bit. Okay, all right? I was

hoping she kept one at least one. God No, Jennyson,

Chapter four, verse three, God dog, Natalie, Okay, Scott, you

already know all right. Genesis chapter three, verse four. The

reason why this is important, guys, is because canaan Able

gave us an example of why God only accepts first.

Okay, So Genesis chapter four, verse three. Do y'all feel

like the lightness like?

Do y'all feel like I'm not trying to attack you.

I'm not trying to beat you over the head. I'm

not telling I already tell you going to heaven if

you believe in Jesus. This is.

I'm just trying to give you the principle.

You can leave it or take it, but I don't

want to be responsible when I get to heaven.

And God's like, why ain't you telling them about that?

You appreaciate everything else. You preave about grace, you preeve

about love, you preach.

About relationship goals all the time, but you ain't telling

about the thing.

That transformed your life, that changed you from.

Being more like you to being more like me. I

gotta give it to you.

The day came that came brought a gift of the

fruit of the ground to the Lord. But Abel brought

a gift of the first born of his flock. And

the fat parts are the good parts. And the Lord

showed favor able and his gift. If you know the story,

the reason why God could not accept Cain's offering because

the passage says, at some times he gave him something,

there was no priority with it. It was just like,

over the course of time, Cain brought something. But Abel,

he said, he brought the firstborn. He said, as soon

as he was increased, he said, this one's God's. And

he said the favor came to him because he put God,

and can I tell you something that's a little strong,

but I want you to hear it. Even if Cain

would have brought the sacrifice, he couldn't have received it

because God doesn't accept seconds. He only does first. So,

Pastor Mike, why are you telling me this? Because I

just want you to remember three things? Three things?

And we're going home?

Why does God care.

About the tithe?

If you can answer? If I can answer this question

to you for you, I think a lot of you

will begin to see this whole thing differently. Why does

God care about this? Because it's all about remembering? Why

does God care about the tithe? Number one? Because you

remember to reset every time you tithe, you remember God

is my source blank it's not.

And you get to fill in the blank.

Every time you get that thousand dollars and you write

one hundred dollars to whatever church you go to. You

are remembering. I could not trust God, but I'm choosing to.

And with goad, price is going crazy, and my keyids

just keep growing out of their shoes. I just bought

these last week. Y'all got what I'm saying?

The cares of this life.

Heating air bills, I gotta get a wig now because

my hair thinning back here. Y'all know what in real life,

I gotta get botox because whoa all these things that

people make priorities. Hear me what I'm saying. I'm using

real life examples. I need a new car, I get

a new.

Car every three years?

Are okay? But is that a priority or having God

rebuke the devourer? Because there's only two options when it

comes to the tithe.

The Bible says, bring the tithe. You can't give it.

Hear what I just said. You only can give something

that's yours.

You bring something that already was somebody else's. I got

four brothers, and I randomly see them wearing my things,

might be some glasses, some shoes that had We're relatively

the same size, And if I see him wearing it,

it's good. They already know it's nothing. But when I

need it, I don't say, hey, could you give me

those shoes you had on yesterday? Creasing them? I just say, yo,

can you bring those Jordan's back? Why? Because it wasn't

theirs to begin with. God's not asking you to give

him anything. He's asking you to bring him back a

piece of what he's giving you, the ability to manage.

That's a whole different attitude. I have no problem sharing

one donut out of ten when you paid for them.

But there are many people that feel like tithing is

God taking something from me. And the Bible's clear. He says,

you only have two options with the tithe, you bring

it or steal it. That's not me saying this. That

scripture he said, you thief, and the people listening, and

I don't even want to go into the whole thing

because I need you to understand this is all scripture.

I need you to He's like, you stealing from God,

and it's like, in what way am I stealing from God?

In tithe and offering? He said, you went to the club,

you paid for that subscription, you went on vacation, not

with what. I need you to give me what I

needed you to bring me back. When we tie it

resets us. Everybody say reset. Some of us need a reset.

Often sometimes money is a thing for us. Can I

tell you that that that that sometimes we gotta reset

so that we remember this is just a tool. Here

is my source. If I get let go of my job,

I'm gonna be okay. Because I'm in.

The hands of God that.

Y'all remember the song I'm safe sustained. Why not because

of that job. Thank God for the job, thank God

for the inheritance, thank God for my parents that left

me something, thank God for all that. But if I

ain't got nothing else, I'm in the hands of God,

and he won't fail me, and he won't drop me,

and he's gonna to keep me. And that's why I'm saying,

test me, man, just see if.

I want to open the windows and blend and come on.

Man.

So you remember the reset. I brought this today. I

found this cleaning out my attic. This was my reset.

I remember this great book. I was flipping through it

and I found a page with a greenwood offering envelope

from twenty and eleven and a picture with all the

bills and money that I had, and at the top

it says, soon to increase finances, God, you are provision.

I wrote this six months to a year and to me,

being the pastor of the church, when I told you

I didn't know how to handle finances, and I wrote down,

I'm literally twy three hundred and twenty two sixteen since

plus one thousand I was still contracting people and producing

for them on the side, so that gave me three thousand,

three hundred and twenty two dollars and sixteen cent. My

rent was six hundred dollars at the time. My God today,

simpler times. My cell phone was two hundred. I was

paying seventy dollars to my choice, which was a credit

card that I maxed out. My car was seven hundred dollars,

but at this time it didn't work, but I still

had to pay the bill. Don't judge me. I saw

you uber here today, not just like I'm just flying.

My bills were three hundred dollars because I had I

had roommates, and then that left me one four hundred

and fifty two dollars savings category nothing y'all, this is real.

But at the top then I start putting food, clothing,

tall the trees, gas because I had to pay people

gas money to get When you don't have a car,

you still gotta pay for gas because the people you

ask for a ride, if you ask them too many times,

you don't get no ride. So I had to But

at the top it says soon to increase finance. This

was my faith. God, you are provision, and I put

over here my tides. I got emotional looking at this book,

and there's other things in here that really really messed

me up to think of where I am today. But

the crazy thing is on the offering envelope. It says

ten thirty one twenty eleven eleven Michael and Natalie Todd.

It's me and my wife and this is in her handwriting.

Because we decided as a family we were going to

honor God with nothing. And how I've watched God prove

his principle to me over and over and over again.

I can only stand here as a testimony. It's the

word of God works. I'm not trying to manipulate you,

convince you. I'm just here as a testimony. If you

honor God with all of your increase, he opens up

the windows of heaven and pours you out of blessing.

You don't have room enough to receive. And the only

reason you're scared of this test is if you're not prepared.

And today I just want you to be prepared. It's coming.

Some of y'all gonna have a test this week. What's

today's day? Some of y'all just miss the test ooh

Jesus fifteenth, or you might get a retake. God's challenging

some of you take the test and don't just take

it once. Decide this is how you're gonna always take

the test. So remember to reset. Second thing, Remember, I'm

a river, not a swamp. God wants to flow through you,

not just to me. Put up a picture of a swamp.

Who would want to go take a bathroom? This? Not me?

Who will want to go fishing in this?

Not me?

There could be an alligator in there. Do you know

why a swamp is a swamp because there's no flow.

Some of your life looks like this, Not because you're bad,

it's just there's no flow. And if you ever been

around a swamp, it starts to stink. The only thing

that lives there are predators. Uh, y'all, just hear what

I'm saying to you. But could you put a picture

of a river up there? Flowing water, something that people

come to to drink from. God tells us in his word,

gives us a picture.

I want you to be planted.

Next to the rivers of living. What would happen if

everything you did was a pass through? Like God said,

Oh yeah, I'll trust you with millions because I know

I can get it through you. I'll trust you with

wisdom because I know you'll give it away. Or I'll

trust you with those connections because you'll connect people. Some

of y'all aren't even stingy with money, You're stingy with relationships.

You got one text message you could make to change

somebody's life, and you send it.

No, No, you need to get it out the mud like

I got it out the mud.

God said, swamp. Okay, I'm not even gonna go. You're

a swam. You're a spiritual swam. You're a relational swam.

You stink. That was me. That wasn't God saying that.

I said that you stank. What I'm saying is.

Like, become a river. Let it flow. Say that.

Let it flow some one more time saying let it flow.

So I'm gonna remember to reset. Every time I'm presented

with the opportunity to tie, I'm gonna remember that I

can tie because I'm a river, not a swamp. Somebody

say there's more. Oh. The last thing is remember tithing

is reverent. This is one of the most spiritual acts

you could ever do. Watch this because God did it. First,

what church did God tie to you? Let's think about it.

When you tie, it has to be first.

For God so loved the world.

That he gave not one of many sons. He gave

the first and only on the potential that all of

his other children would be reconciled back to him. He

gave first so the rest could be blessed. Oh God,

maybe tithing is more important to God than you think.

Jesus is God's dithe. Is there any other way? Nope.

I got to give the first one to be sacrificed

so that all my other kids can know and I

love them. Not a point on there, but I think

it is. Tithing is personal. It's personal to God. There

was a song that came up in my spirit earlier

because I know there's people that want to know the

semantics of everything, and like, Okay, is this The truth

of the matter is either we're right or we're wrong.

Either this God thing works or it don't. And literally

I think I'm on the right side, like either if

you just like just think about it, If you live

your life generously, tithing ten percent giving when God tells

you to give, and we find out at the end

of this life the Jesus Christ thing was all fake.

You still would be a better person.

There's nobody who lives generously.

That's like, I hate you generous people.

It's just like, oh, forgive, I'm giving more grace. All

you need a thousand, you need one hundred thousand.

Like, let's just say, let's just say we got it

all wrong, but we forgave.

Like Jesus doesn't exist at all.

This is an example for everybody that's watching and just

tuned in right here.

I just need you because y'all be liking the clip.

Stuff up. I'm giving you an example. Let's just say

Jesus didn't exist at all, but you lived your life

thinking on things that were good and lovely and of

a positive report. You lived your life forgiving. You lived

your life being generous. You will get to the end

of this life and be like, well, sure lived the best.

One I could.

Now imagine if you're wrong and all of this was

really important, and you're about to get tested again at

the Great White Throne judgment and you're like, hey, hey,

hold on, what's happening. I'm three people back? Hold on?

They really they really pulling up on the big screen

of heaven. Everything I did on earth, how I spent

my money, who I slept with, what hold on? Wait? Everything?

When I lied?

When I they really can I get a redoo? And

he said no, you can't get a redo. That's why

I was trying to reset you. I wanted you to

have a reset because when you get.

To heaven you don't get a redo.

So today, church, we should be ones that would be like,

you know what, if all of these principles are in

God's were I'm just gonna obey them because I got

too many signs of around me. If the stars were

made to worship, somebody say, so will I. If the

mountains bow in reverence, if the oceans roar your greatness,

so will AH. For everything that exists, it exists to

lift you high, so so will I. That's about priority.

Standing all over this building today, I'm gonna pray that

if you're watching online or you're in this room, before

you move, I want to pray for you. Hear me,

I'm gonna pray that you obey God. Just like the winds,

the waves, the sea, the trees, the sun, the mountains,

they're all standing and doing what they were created to do.

They're obeying God's word, and your response should be so

will I so? If God tells me to forgive, your

response should be so. If God tells me to love,

my response should be if God tells me to tithe?

Would you lift your hands all over this place? God,

we're asking for your help because many times there's fear

around stepping out in faith. And I pray for every

person from a middle schooler who's just getting allowance to

the CEO whose business just got bought out. And I'm

asking you that you would give us a heart to

obey you by honoring you with the first ten percent

of everything that you increase us With God, I declare

and I believe that you are removing all day around

trusting you. And I'm thinking you that people are about

to step out in crazy faith and they will never

be disappointed because you are a God that keeps your word.

Thank you that when you give a test, you help

us with it. It's open book test. We can't fail

if we stay close to you. So for every person

that is struggling with the concept, give them peace right now.

For every marriage that needs to come into agreement based

on the hurts and the pains of the past, I

thank you for unity in the name of Jesus, for

every young person who doesn't know if this God thing

is real. God, thank you for an encounter with you.

If the stars were made to worship, so will I.

I will obey your word even if I don't understand

it fully, because miracles happen when the logic stops. Faith

begins where understanding ends. Today, God, we say we trust you,

we will listen, we will hear, we will obey. In

this moment, many of you need to ask the question

of Holy Spirit, what are you trying to say to me?

Because somebody just got laid off and you're like, why

would this message come to me right now? Because God's

trying to get your heart. If the stars were made

to worship, so will I.

The mountains bowl and rever and so we feel She's

why your bisness so well, rebel.

Everything sins to lift you hard.

So if the wind goes where you send it, so

will I.

Jesus. If the rocks cry out in silence.

So if the sun of v Pregund is still far shared,

then we're seeing again behind a billion times. So if

the stars are mad to worship.

So will line. If the mountains spoul in reverence, so well,

I A if feels for your pregness, so elle.

Or if everything says to lift you up, so hella.

If that's just where you sitting.

It so well, if he rots, cry out and silence.

So well. It's the sound of all love. Brent is

still for s.

We'll say again and a hundred million times.

I have to give every person under the sound of

my voice, as God is still speaking to you, the

opportunity to receive the benefit of God's tithe Jesus today

because God gave us first. Now we can be redeemed,

bought back from the lives of sin, the bondage of sin,

and you don't even have to do nothing but receive

it today. It's a heart posture that changes, and your

eternity changes. So for every person who is like me

in any way, a liar, manipulator, addicted to pornography, or

you just don't know Jesus or never accepted him, today

is your day because of what God gave us in Jesus.

Today we can be reconciled or put back together with

the Father, and it changes us. We go on a

journey of progression over perfection where He's the only one

that if you give him your heart, he'll help you

change those habits you've tried over and over. Why can't

you beat him? Because you need supernatural help. And today

Jesus wants to come and live with you every day

of your life. So if that's you and you're saying, pastor,

I want you to include me in this prayer that

I want to make Jesus Christ my personal Lord and savior.

Your eternity is gonna be secure and your history is

about to be transformed. Today is a day of salvation.

And if you're watching this from a jail cell, or

you're in this room, or you're seeing this ten months

from now on rebroadcast, and it's coming to you because somebody.

Sent you a link, Today is the day of salvation.

I need the church to begin to pray. Your whole

life has led up to this moment, and all you

have to do is make a choice.

Choose Jesus.

I set before you today life and death. And I'm

gonna give you the answer to the test. Choose life.

And if that's you on the counter three, I just

want you to slip your hand up, whether you're online

or in the room. One you're making the greatest decision

of your life. Two.

I'm so proud of you.

But more than that, your name is gonna be written

in the Lamb's Book of Life. Three. If you want

to accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior, lift your hands.

I see you right there. I see you right there. Amen,

I see you, God bless you.

I see you.

I see you, big God. So proud of you. More

than that, God sees you. And that transformation church where

a family nobody prays alone. So would you just lift

your hands it's our last prayer and just repeat after me,

say God, thank you for sending Jesus just for me today.

I give you my life. Here I am, I repent,

and I turn to you.

I believe you lived, you died.

And you rose again so I could live in freedom.

Change me, renew me, transformance. I'm yours forever in Jesus' name. Amen.

Can we celebrate right now? Oh, y'all can do better

than that. All that heaven is rejoicing right now. And

then we celebrate. We want to say welcome to the family.

You made that decision. I want you to text save

the eight two eight two A two and as the

altar workers are coming right now. For those who text saved,

we literally have content discipleship content digitally that we want

to give to you, and you can click the QR

code or our team will send it as you're leaving today.

I want you to remember that God desires for all

of us to obey his will, and that's in every

area of our life. You will be tested this week,

and the question is are you prepared or are you

ready for the test? Father, blessed this church.

Bless your people as they.

Go, keep them safe. And for those who need prayer, Father,

in need agreement, because things are happening right now. I

thank you for meeting them right now at the point

of their need today. Father, whatever you ask us to do,

we will be the ones who do it. So will

I have your way, Father God in Jesus name. Feel

the spirit of worship in this house. If you need

prayer for anything, if you're online, just stay in this atmos.

Fear for a second. I believe God's gonna heal you.

If you need to go, we will see you next week.

I believe God is gonna do something super special.

But if you need.

Healing, if you need prayer, come down. Took a front.

Thank you for joining us today. If you said that

prayer and accept it Jesus into your heart, it's the

best decision you could ever make.

We want to.

Celebrate with you, and we have some tools to help

you on your journey. Text saved to A two eight

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Thanks for listening. Now go out and live a transform life.