Fresh Foundation: Tithing & Honoring God First // Fresh Fruit (Part 6) // 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. Do today's message. Welcome to

week six of a series we're calling somebody shot at me fresh fruit? Say

it with face, fresh fruit? How many people? That's your desire this

year? You want fresh fruit. I don't want nothing stale, nothing old,

in my marriage, in my life, I want fresh fruit. And

we've been talking about being connected to the true vine what's his name, Okay,

staying connected and making sure that the gardener can come in and give us

a fresh cut. And if he wants to prune us, we're not gonna

run from it. We're gonna know that he is the one that is giving

us a future because he's cutting the things off that would hinder our growth in

the future. And so for anybody, I just want a little caveat for

anybody that's feeling like loss means that you're losing, that's a lie. When

God is cutting on you, loss actually means that you're about to level up.

You missed it. He said, there's more fruit coming. I know

it feels bare right now, but whatever you think you lost, check back

with me in a different season and I will have somebody say leveled of And

last week I felt a burden to begin to talk to our church about something

that is just a part of the culture around here. It's just a regular

thing. And I don't know what church everybody came from and how people talked

about this certain topic. But when it comes to transformation, church is regular.

We talk about generosity, stewardship, and finances. And usually, if

you're in this church this year, I usually do a six week series on

generosity and giving and how to properly steward finance because the top three things we

counsel about is relationships, money and anger like the results of all those things,

and so people need to know about it, but I don't nobody want

to talk about it. Come on, let's be honest. When it comes

to money, everybody's booty get tight, everybody's lips get chapped, everybody start

thinking about what they don't have. And I'm telling everybody, relax, I'm

not teaching you something from a place of needing something. And I want to

I want to say that to you because in a lot of churches, it's

like, Yo, we're gonna talk about money today. Lock the door us

like this building has been getting built for fifty nine years and today we finishing

it. Like it's not we're not doing that because many times, if there's

pressure or compulsion or emotionalism, you don't give with the right Watch this heart

and giving is all about the heart. And some of your biggest problems and

all the things you're managing is not because you're doing everything wrong. You're just

doing this one thring wrong. You're not doing everything wrong. You're doing this

one thing wrong. You're not putting God first in your finances. A lot

of my issues was I was just not putting God first in my finances.

I thought it could be a part of the list, not the priority of

my list. And some of you have convinced yourself, well, nobody knows

my financial situation. Me and God got are dealing and an arrangement and we're

gonna do our thing. He knows my heart. He does. That's why

he told me to speak this message. Because you're delusional and you want God

to bless you with more of what he can't trust you with. Now because

everybody gonna be generous when they hit the lottery, when this job come through,

when I got more, and God said, that's not even how the

principle works. If you're not faithful with little, he cannot make you a

ruler over much. And today, can I be? Can I be completely

hot, humble, open, and transparent? Can I be? Okay?

I said, can I be completely hot, humble, open? I can?

When when many ministers of the Gospel who look like me preach about money,

there's some ulterior motive behind it. And I want to apologize for anybody

that's been in those environments. And it's not just black people. It's people

whose heart has been towards turned towards manipulation. And my team will tell you,

like, I've been intentional about this since the day that I became the

lead pastor of the church, because it turns so many people off from finding

out about Jesus because they are like Jesus, the church just want my money.

The church just want my money. And I was like, man,

if we could ever become a church that was like the church just don't want

my money, the church be giving a bunch of money. The church actually

changes the community. The church is actually going into downtown Tulsa and finding black

owned shoe stores and buying the whole store for people, and then taking it

to the boys Home for young men that don't have parents and giving them sneaks

like, oh, we're going into it, says take care of the widows

in the orphan So we're going into actual homes where these young ladies have aged

out of programs and we're buying houses for them and actually, hold on,

there are people with wheelchairs and special needs and we're buying kitted out like vans

and like and for nine years we've been doing that. I can stand here

today and the reason I'm just trying this ain't for everybody. Most of y'all

know, but there's like three percent of people that are watching This's like,

I know thisstens it an you're saying, because you're just gonna use this to

take my money. No, no, no, no, I'm trying to

let you know that we're gonna be generous as a church no matter what you

do. What I want you to do is know that you may be missing

out on the very thing that adds abundance to your life. We partnered with

the Pandoa app and went into the jails and gave them Transformation Church. Do

you know we get hundreds of letters every single week from people in prisons all

across America because Transformation Church has literally helped them become men and women that they

would have never been without the word of God. Y'all can give it up

for that, y'all, this is shoes. In the last nine years,

we've given way over twelve million dollars. Man, I can't mess with you.

I'm gonna find the exact number and tell you tomorrow. I've been way

over that, but I was being Tammy. Look at me, she said,

it has been way over that. I'm trying to be conservatives because we

always error on the side of being conservative. So you don't think that this

is a hype train. The reason I'm saying all of this because I'm trying

to ease somebody's tension to think that this is a place that wants to take

anything from you. I really want to give you this principle because it changed

my life from being a poverty minded world in this head and it brought me

into a vast place of abundance. And as your pastor, I want that

for every person under the sound of my voice. I'm not talking about everybody

making the sound the same amount of money. I'm talking about everybody living in

abundance. There are people with millions of dollars who still have poverty mindsets,

and there are people who work at a fast food restaurant making minimum wage that

live in abundance. This is not about a dollar amount. It is about

a heart position. And today Church, I want to give you a principle

that has transformed my life. It's changed me. Last week we talked about

having fresh seed, and I know some of y'all been sowing seeds. Everywhere.

Y'all been like, where I'm going, everywhere there's sow seeds. And

there was something funny that happened this week. My daughters like popcorn a lot,

and so I went to make my daughter some popcorn. And I don't

really be thinking what popcorn is. I mean, I literally like, get

the little brown sack. I don't even think about what's in here, and

then I just put it in the microwave. But for some reason, I

was talking and I was doing like this, and I was talking and I

felt something moving in there, and for the first time in my life connect

I was today years old. When I realized what was in these packages,

it's a bunch of what y'all got. A whole revelation at the microwave.

I took these seeds and I laid it out in the microway and I put

it. Hold on, let me hear, let me put this in here,

right. I put it in the microway and then I hit the little

double pump button. And I was sitting here, and you know me,

They tell you don't stand too close to the microwave, but I've always been

a little rebellious. So I'm looking in there and I'm watching this, and

the Holy Spirit began to speak to me. He said, Michael, when

you take seeds and you put them in a process that allows them to be

uncomfortable for a season, I said, Holy Spirit, don't do me like

this on a Tuesday in front of this microwave. He said, My people

don't see the expanded version of their seed because they won't get uncomfortable for a

short season. They won't change their budget for a short season. They won't

stop buying the sales. Shoot, they don't stop visiting bath and bodyworks.

You know that is a setup. They always gonna have a sale, and

you keep walking past that same thing, and you got all of this stored

in cabinets, but nothing expanding. He said, Michael, if you would

take the seeds I've given you and just for a moment put them in an

uncomfortable position, he said, you'll start to hear the change of what's on

the inside beginning to expand and make a little noise. So I was literally

sitting here watching this popcorn expand. Y'all hear a little bit, she said,

no, check your ears. If you were closer, you would hear

individual seeds expanding. It caused a reaction that then caused another seed to say,

well, maybe I need to expand too. It's not just one seed

doing the expanding. It is the conglomerate of all of these seeds being uncomfortable

for a short season. That makes everything around it. Everybody shot at me

expand and I read this script. Ooh, hold on. Even when it

came out, if you could feel this, it's still Papa, dang,

this is hot. And after I did this little experiment, make some popcorn

for one of my kids. The Holy Spirit said, Michael, I want

transformation to sow some seed. And I said, Okay, what do you

want me to do? He said, you're believing God off the vision I

gave you thirty seven days into being a pastor. This whole thing that the

Spirit Bank event Center would be Transformation Church. He said, go back to

that and look at all the stuff I said. And one of the things

he said is that this arena will be filled three times over every weekend.

And I said, what, I don't even know if I want that.

Lord, he said, this is not about what you want, It's about

what I want. And he said, remember when it comes to seed,

some plant, some water. But God adds to what he said, I

want Transformation Church to sow with that model. And I'm like, what you

mean? He said, find a church that's about to plant and so some

seed. And I literally saw a church. It's Life Point Church, Phoenix,

TJ. And your beautiful wife who just moved to Phoenix. Transformation Church

is sowing some seed right now. And we're sending you a check for one

hundred thousand dollars before you have your first interest meeting Transformation Church. Can we

give God hold on? Can we give God Life Church Phoenix? We got

some popcorn on the way for you. I didn't have to pray about that.

I'd have to fast about that. Why because when God spoke it,

the resources of this house are not mine God, so if he wants to

do something, it's very easy to obey him because it was his in the

first place. My question is is that the same for your house, because

the same exact thing we just did there, that happens to me and Natalie.

To the tune of whatever he says, I'm talking about before church,

I wrote a check. It doesn't matter about the amount, Moe. Am

I telling the truth? I wrote a check before church because he's said to

Can we talk about something else? Lord? Can we know, y'all every

time I start talking about financing, it costs me. I'm not, y'all,

No, I'm not. I'm being for real, for real, this

is not about the church. I want the principle to be so in you

that God can tap on your shoulder at any moment and he say that extra

mcdouble. See, y'all thought it had to be a lot, that extra

mcdouble. Go give it to that man. Well, Lord, you know

I eat too mcdoubles and two jiggens say I'm with you. That's the pattern

of prosperity like but the only reason you grieve is because you thought it was

yours. The only reason you get frustrated because you thought it which I got

some more popcorn here, y'all think we should pop some more popcorn. Let

me just put it. There's some more seed off in here. I don't

wonder who that's for. Uh, Listen when it expands. When my seed

expands, it makes everything around me get bigger. That bag was flat when

it went in, but because it was put in the right environments, it

didn't just expand the It expanded the bag too. You want your world to

get bigger, you might want to plant some more seeds. Proverbs eleven twenty

four. The world of the generous gets larger and larger, and the world

of the stingy gets what smaller. Today, I want to talk to you

about a foundational principle that made my world get larger and more than my world,

my heart be more turned towards the idea of God. And I'm gonna

be straight out with you. This one thing exposed to my heart. It

helped me solidify my priorities, and it honestly helped me defeat pornography. I

know some of y'all want to stay in the same cycles, but this was

a game changer for me. And the principle is tithing. I'm not going

sugarcoat it. I'm not gonna taking ten percent of all of my increase and

before I pay everything else, before I make the house, the shoes,

the outfit my kids sporting events, before I make that a priority. I

said, God, i want you to be the foundation of my life.

So I'm going to trust first things first, and I'm gonna take this holy

portion of this resource that you gave me, and I'm gonna put it into

the house of God you've called me to. And I want everybody to hear

me. If your house of God that God's called you to is not Transformation

Church, take your tithe to the place that God has assigned you in this

season. If you're watching this as supplemental content and we're encouraging you, do

not send your tithes here, go to first Baptist Yippity Dodah that you go

to. I'm just trying to be very clear for you, and you're supposed

to sow right there. If everybody does what they're supposed to do in the

garden they're planted in the entire kingdom grows, and y'all see this is how

you know this is not about me. Go I could be trying to manipulate

and use our influence to get more people. You should talk to the place

who's feeding you. You should tie to the place where God's called you.

Okay, let me quit, Let me quit. In the Kingdom of God,

tithing is the foundation of our finances. So it's always tripped me out

that people try to give offerings when they haven't tithed. The offering is illegal

without the tithe. I can't even mess with you. Is it beeping?

I feel like one of those the people from Blues Clues. What was his

name? Uh, Steve? Is it bb? Let's see some plant life

Point Church in Phoenix is about the plant I think their interest meeting is this

week. Some that means that will be a church that's already going and they

just need a little water on top of this is hot. Wow. Somebody

text a couple that is in Seattle, one church, Seattle. There's a

check for one hundred thousand dollars coming to you right now. We just wanted

to water a little bit. The seeds of God that you are spreading in

Seattle. Y'all, y'all, don't, y'all, don't stop. It's so

crazy. I'm this is exposing some people's heart because some of y'all don't know

the scripture that says you rejoice with those who rejoice. How would you act

if somebody just text you that your business organization or nonprofit got one hundred thousand

dollars unexpectedly? Brother, feel more. God sees what you're doing, sees

what you and your wife are doing. Send him this bag of popcorn?

Should we pop some more? No, No, y'all not gonna be focused.

Y'all just gonna be looking at this the whole time. So hold on

in the Kingdom of God. It's so crazy that that when generosity starts,

you don't know whose name is on the next band. If pop d and

the King of God, tithing is the foundation of our finances. I want

to tell something to everybody that that really helped me understand. If you don't

do what's required, what you do that seems like excess is denied. Do

y'all hear what I'm saying? Okay, if you don't do what's it's like

it's like qualifying for a track meet. It's like we're going to state,

but to run at state, you got to actually hit this time in the

regional meat. And people be showing up to State stretching, and this is

what we do in church, and it's like, what are you doing.

I'm about to smoke these fools. I'm about to run this race and I'm

gonna win. Is like, the truth of the matter is you could run

this race and win. But because you didn't qualify, because you put the

energy and effort into the extra thing, the exciting thing, the thing that

everybody sees, and you didn't do what was required, your ability gets trapped

in your neglect. The ability that you could be the fastest person there gets

trapped because you neglected to do the ordinary thing. That's what I think so

many times when it comes to our tithe and offering we do as a church.

We think we're tipping God. The choice was good to day, let

me throw a twenty in there. Good job, But you are fourteen years

backed up on the requirement. Wow, you bought car after car, house

after house, put the mat out that says blessed, and then you come

to church. Judge, don't serve talk about it, and then when you

feel really good, you tip them. I just want you to see,

honestly how we approach. And God said, like, yo, Mike,

I just need you to tell people that they can have a watch. This

is the title of my message, A fresh foundation, A fresh foundation.

This is all about tithing and honoring God first. And let me help somebody

because some of y'all are the fourteen year backlog. You just got depressed right

there. You was like I can never I will never be able to go

back, and and like stop, His grace and mercy is new every morning.

Okay, so somebody's oh my eye, oh glory, Like I saw

what I'm saying today? Though? Is could today be the day that it

be said that you change your family's generational future because as a single woman or

a single man, or a couple with not a lot of finances or you

balling out of control and your financial aviaser doesn't think that this is wise.

Oh I'm talking about real stuff. See, when you start talking to people

who have money, they'll try to convince you that you should honor God in

a different way at a different time of year, because at this time,

the taxes will be able to. I had to tell my financial people shut

up. The only reason you have a job. Y'all don't hear. I

know it would be better for me fiscally, but it won't be better for

my faith. So what I need you to do is ten percent of everything

that increases in my household, send it to Transformation Church. Wells, mister,

I completely understand the heart behind. No, you don't because you weren't

there when me and Natalie lived in Bishop's rent house, being in seven hundred

square feet using borrowed couches. Y'all know them couches that are like clever.

Y'all know the brown ones. Why are they all brown? They're all brown?

They only make them in brown. If you're hot, you get stuck

to them. And like y'all know what I'm talking about. Some of y'all

know, if you still have that couch, pray that you get a first

foundation. Hear what I'm saying to you. You weren't there when we were

believing God to change our financial situation, and God said, I'm not gonna

give you more. I'm gonna give you more wisdom to manage what you have.

And today as a church, I don't care if the world gets this.

This is not a principle for the world. This is a principle for

people who call themselves sons and daughters of Christ. Tithing is an ordinary principle

of children of God. And if you don't watch this, you're not going

to hell. See this is what we try to do. We try to

scare people into actually doing what's right. Your salvation can be completely intact,

and you steal not get the full benefit of the full life Christ had for

you on earth. I know this message with you. It's like, am

I a bad person? You're not a bad person. You're not. You

just have not taken advantage of the full benefit of living a life with Jesus

Christ. As you're watch this, everybody say Lord, okay. So that's

why Matthew six nineteen says, don't store for yourself treasures here on earth,

where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and

steel. Store your treasures in heaven, where moss russ cannot destroy them,

when thieves do not break in and steel. Watch this. Wherever your treasure

is, they're the desires of your heart will be also write it down in

a point, your finances expose your heart, and your heart exposes your foundation.

People come up to me all the time when I do series' series on

finances and stuff like that, and they're be like, Jesus is first in

my life? Passed ah lot, Jesus. Oh there's something about the nineties.

And you know, I'm trying to be very relationally intelligent and think about

them and all that other stuff, But inside I just want to say,

prove it. You could say anything, but prove it. And the thing

that I found out is the proof is in the fruit. When it comes

to Jesus being your foundation. Show me your checking account, show me your

your Chase Bank statement, Jesus, I'll do anything for Jesus. Show me

your last year's money statement, because I can tell without you saying any no,

no, shut up. And what people start doing is explaining why other

things. Well, I mean the house, you know what I'm saying.

We got in a bad season and then the interest rate was like but then,

I mean, it was my daughter's sixteen persons and we had to buy

a car because I told her she was gonna buy a car. And then

oh that was a trip to Miami. Now, I'm being a god.

We have a good times my forty birthday and and Nate, but he's my

foundation. Wherever your treasure not will be. Where your treasure currently is,

it exposes where your heart is. Many of us our heart is in our

house. Some of us our heart is in makeup and fashion. Some of

us, come on, I want you to think about where is your treasure?

Locate shoe treasure right now. I don't care how much treasure you have.

Where is it? Some of y'all treasure is sitting on twenty fours.

You always wanted a truck riding on them things, and so now you're sitting

up hie. But is that? Some of your treasure is in your kid's

sports. Some of your treasure is in stocks, bottoms, bitcoin, Jesus,

it's it. I mean, some of your treasures are in NFTs and

technologies. Some of your like, where's your truk? My question is is

any of your treasure designated first for God's house? And if it's not,

today, I'm not coming to beat you up. I'm coming to offer you

a fresh foundation. See, because this is what happens with a foundation.

Most of us build our foundation on things that can't really hold us up.

I'm two hundred and twenty five pounds. That's a miracle in itself. But

if I want to build my life on this, I don't know if a

career can hold the weight of my life. And many of us, let's

be honest, this is why you go to college. This is why you

take that program. This is why you do this because you about to build

your life. Uh oh, that don't even feel a one leg. Don't

even feel y'all. See how that's bended in. Somebody said, don't do

it, but you do it every year and you're encouraging your kids to do

it. Now on you going to college? Hold on, wait, hold

on, why are you telling me? Cause you got to get a good

career to build Oh yeah, that doesn't And so many of us we build

it on the career and then we be like, yeah, once I get

a good career, then I can actually take and put my relationships. That's

the only way. She don't want to go cheesecake factory. So I gotta

get that money so then I can find a dying piece. Yeah no,

no, no, why is it a risk of return? Because it's what

it's not stable yet We build our families on this. This is how How

in the how in the world do I put the children that God trusted me

with? Like, I'm building this on something that can't hold me up,

and then I'm gonna put honor. If I'm just building on a career,

ain't no other room for nobody, even on this box. Yeah, I'm

gonna get me, I'm gonna get Shorty, and we're gonna be doing vacations

and we're gonna I'm just right to say, I'm just trying to. I'm

just trying to. And we're going around trying to convince people if they get

a good job and they have a decent relationship, they got a strong foundation.

And then what they do is they be like, Yo, matter of

fact, now I got a little money, I gotta turn it into something.

I gotta become a podcaster, got to be an entrepreneur. Ooh,

it feels like it's just a Centerrett, Okay, what do I need to

go? This way? Is this way? A little more back over to

the left. It's so crazy that you'll have people from the outside telling you

how to actually position what still can't hold you up. You can tell me

to move it forward move it backwards, move it over the ten x my

company, move into this, take an offshore account. You can tell me

to do all of that. But if I needed to stand on this,

it's still gonna fall. And do you know how many people, instead of

walking in a blessing or balancing, spend their whole life win, start blowing

economy, start doing stuff. It's a oh shit, we got to die

because they've built their life on the wrong. What kind of dad would I

be to tell Ava or Bella or Jiya to come up here and stand on

this. This is what we're doing generationally. Hey, look at me.

Our people came here, We were slaves, and I worked hard so that

you could have a better future. So you go to college and you get

this that in the third, the fourth, and if you turn that into

a good relationship, and then you better get a boss too. Don't marry

no little housewife. Lord, you better get you a boss. Real estate

marketing taxes. Now, I'm telling you real conversations that happen with people.

So then y'all can all that sacrifice. I did it so that y'all,

but praise God, we love Jesus when we give them the glory on Sundays,

but Monday through Saturday. It's about this career. And in relationship,

you don't even have to have a good marriage. It's a business relationship.

Y'all know how many people are together just because they say it like this.

It's cheap of the keeper, y'all donning, Oh all we work for it?

Is she gonna take half? And then not? And your kids sitting

there watching generational dysfunction for him right in front of them. But what if?

What if? What if we built our life on something that was a

solid, sure right foundation? I mean, what if I built my life

what's his name on? What happens is now I get to rearrange all the

areas in my life. If Jesus is my foundation, if I if I

commit, submit and make him a priority, what he says, how he

does it a priority, then I can be like, Okay, what can

I build it? Oh? You know? I can build yeah, my

finances on Jesus, and then I can build my relationship on Jesus, and

then I can broop my Why nobody's screaming now because I'm standing on something sure,

nobody's scared from me because I built my life on something that had the

capacity to hold me up. Now listen, now, listen, I'll still

be standing if the career falls, and if the relationship fades, and if

the finances gone, I'm still solid on the rock. Oh Christ, the

solid rock God. Stamp all over the ground. It's sinking, saying I

build my faith on Jesus. And this is the reason why so many people

get hurt and run away because they think Jesus forsook them. And he said,

no, you just built your life on something that couldn't hold you.

Today, I'm offering you a fresh foundation. Hey, hey, Buck,

come here, come here, real quick, real quick, quick here.

Okay. The beautiful thing about this moment right here is it's very simple.

And this is why I want you to get this principle of giving, because

it's very simple for me to teach my children to trust something i've already stood

on. Come here, Oh John, Yeah, it's it's it's I want

you to see. All she's gonna know is a family that builds their life

on BRINGJJ come here, come here, just bring my baby. Look we

can we can actually sit down on this. Come on. Let's you know,

come on. Oh yeah, we don't got a lot of finances and

all of our relationships won't be great. But uh, I want to come

here. But as long as we have Jesus, come here. G baby

O o o o O y yep. It feels like it feels like this

is what men of God should do. Hear me, hear me, hear

me, hear me, hear me. Is lead their family first. I'm

not saying none of these other things aren't important. I'm just saying, could

we build the foundation because because one day I'll be gone, y'all stay right

there. One day I'll be out of the picture. Yeah, keep them

on the screen. And right now they're not scared because the foundation that their

life was built on was strong enough to hold them even when Daddy was gone.

Oh my god, I want I want you to see that. If

we don't teach our children to build their life, Mom and Daddy, why

are we moving? Because we gotta, we gotta, we gotta take care

of our money a little better. Are we poor? No, we're not

poor. We're pruning. I'm telling you we're gonna get together as the FAMI.

We're gonna play. Oh no, no, no, no. We

don't need all the technology. Right now, we're gonna we're gonna draw in

together right now, We're gonna be We're gonna be close, because one day

we're gonna look back on the these moments and it'll be the best time of

our lives. And what I'm trying to teach you is to build your life

on Jesus. When Jesus asked you to give up relationships, finances, career

ideas, things, I want you to know that it's worth it because he

can actually hold it. My whole family can fit on this solid foundation.

And and I don't want to exacerbate this analogy, but I just want to

let you know, like we're not leaving a good playbook for our children to

follow right now, Like when I look at how people are frantic around their

resources, we're teaching them. You said I didn't. I didn't teach them.

Yes you did. Because some things are taught, other things are caught.

They're catching the spirit of fear around finances. They're catching the spirit of

poor stewardship. I thought you said we was cutting back. And then y'all

at Olive Garden buying the extra drinks and desserts. Y'all know you rich when

you get desserts like y'all know, y'all know when appetizers and desserts are happening,

it's like somebody got paid. They're catching the spirits. And could it

be said that maybe there should be some new ideas and identity. Thank y'all.

Can y'all give it up for my babies. They did a great job.

They didn't know I was gonna call them up. Maybe there can be

some some ways. She got it? She all right, take this one.

Maybe we need to build our foundation on. Say his name one more

time? Okay, all right, so let's go. Jesus is the only

firm foundation one Corinthians three ten, because of God's grace to me. Somebody

say his grace to me. I have laid the foundation like an expert builder.

Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation

must be very careful, for no one can lay any foundation foundation other than

the one we already have laid, Jesus Christ. You want to know who

the foundation of anybody who believes is? It's right here. What's his name?

Jesus Christ. So today I just hope to give you an undoing of

probably one of the most manipulated scriptures in the world about tithing. It's Malachi

III, and I want to give you a revelation that transformed my life.

I'm gonna give it to you, and then we're gonna go home. Okay,

I forgot I got one. Somebody said the popcorn. Do y'all see

how fun it is. Do y'all see how fun it is to actually steward

over your resources in one season so you can be a blessing to other people

in a different season, like you not getting blessed, but you happy.

Boo boo beet boom. All right, here we go, MALACHOQ three to

six. For I am the Lord. I do not change that. It's

very important for you to understand who's talking, the Lord, and what does

he say? I don't change. Okay, therefore you are not consumed Verse

seven. Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from my

ordinances. That word ordinance means ordinary teaching. Ye the ogs used to do

this. It was ordinary. And now you new school people have gone away

from the ordinary things that we did and have not kept them. Return to

me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.

Who's talking? He keeps telling you who's talking. Just so you know,

a preacher didn't make this up. This is not a minister. There's not

a preacher. There is not a minor prophet or a major prophet. This,

he says. The Lord of Host is saying this to you. He

says, but she'll say, in what way shall we return? I thought

we was with you God. I thought we was in the tabernacles all the

time. I thought we go to church. I thought we sing yahweh.

I thought we was with you. And he says, will a man rob

God? Yet you've robbed me? Lord? That is not even funny.

You know I wouldn't rob you. How good I this is what he says.

But you say, in what way have we robbed you? His response,

in tithes and offerings, he said, you are cursed with a curse

for you have robbed me. Even this whole nation think about our nation,

prayer out of school, coming against church's ability to have nonprofits. It's like

our nation has turned their by on the money. It says, in God

we trust. That's words. It's not in our hearts. Even this whole

nation, he said, bring all the tithe into the storehouse. And the

storehouse represents the church. Or the places that God chooses to dwell. And

it says that there may be food in my house. And try me now.

In this says the Lord of hosts. Who's talking. He keeps telling

you this me, Yeah, this is not past the mike, this is

not pastor whoever you think. The Lord of host is saying this. He

says, try me at this. See if I won't open the windows of

heaven and pour you out of blessing, that there will not be room enough

to receive. Watch this now, Most people, when they get right here,

they get stuck because there's two things in this scripture that jag everybody up.

How am I robbing God? And I'm cursed? How me little on

me? I make twenty two thousand dollars a year, I'm robbing God and

I'm closed. People are like, I can't. I can't deal with that.

This is the revelation that God showed me, he said, Michael.

People read these words and don't feel my spirit in it says how does a

man rob God? He said, I don't need your money, He said,

this is just the requirement to bring you into another level of blessing.

So a good dad wants to bless his kids, but he blesses them based

on their obedience. So if I tell you to make your bed, but

you take out the trash and didn't make your bed, I can't bless you

the way I want to, not because you didn't do something. You didn't

do what I asked you to do. All I need you to do is

obey me. Somebody say obey And so all of this is and God say,

you keep robbing me watching this. This is the revelation that God gave

me about five years ago. It changed everything. When you don't tithe,

you rob God of the opportunity to bless you. He's like, oh,

I'm about the gop you didn't do h popcorn. It feels like it's done.

Some plant, some water. But God adds the We heard about this

church in Atlanta that God has been expanding. It's called Spirit in Truth Atlanta.

Pastor Mark Moore. There's a check for one hundred thousand dollars. Oh,

how you gon rejoice. There's a check for one hundred thousand dollars to

take what you're doing to the next level and increase you. Somebody give God

some praise, go this hot send him some popcorn. Y'all know the only

reason we're able to do that is because when it's time for my check to

come in and your check to come in on the first and of fifteen,

I don't even think about it no more. It's gone. When I look

at my stuff, it's after God got his. This is worth adjusting your

life for, because when you don't tide, you rob God of the opportunity

to bless you. You gotta hear what, y'all. I'm a living when

I went from poverty mindset, hiding dollars in my mattress, keeping money stash

just in case I run out. And God said, boy, if you

don't give up that Egypt mentality, if you don't stop acting like a slay,

I own the cattle on a thousand heels. I'm Jehovah Jarra, your

provider. I will make you the lender and not the borrower. But I

had to break it by honoring God. Watch this by faith, it's not

gonna make sense. It's gonna make a miracle. You have to start tithing

by how do you get saved? How you gonna get saved by faith?

Worship of God, by faith that you've never seen. But then when it

comes to money, it needs the math need to be mathing. What I'm

saying is it's by okay, and everybody's not gonna get it. But I

believe there's at least a thousand of y'all that's about to change the foundation of

your life. Watch this. When you don't tie, you rob God of

the opportunity to bless you. Okay, So that's how you rob them.

Everybody, I'm cursed. Let me help you. You're not cursed. Galatians

three thirteen. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a

curse for us. So when he was telling this, this was in the

Old Testament, Jesus hadn't come yet, so he said, you curse what

it curs right now enters Jesus. When Jesus enters in, he says,

you are no longer cursed. If you don't tie, that means you can

be saved, You could be delivered, you can work in healings and miracles.

But when it comes to your finances, you not cursed. You put

a cap. Somebody say, I'm not cursed. I just got a cap.

I wrote it out because I want everybody to hear this and see this

very clearly. Okay, if you don't tied, and you believe in Jesus,

you're not cursed. However, some blessings have terms and conditions. Now

I'm gonna be I'm gonna be wealthy, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna

do that. And God was like, yeah, until you follow my terms

and conditions, I cannot trust you with that level of resource because all money

actually does is magnify who you really are. You're a cheater without money,

You become a really really good cheater with money. You a liar without money.

Do y'all hear what I'm saying right now? He's saying, all I

want you to do right now is honor the terms and conditions. And somebody

saying, well, passing Mike, that's old Testament. I'm gonna show you.

Jesus saying you should tie. Then the New Testament in red Luke eleven,

But what do you pharisees for? You tithe on mint and ruin herbs

and neglect justice and love of God. These you have ought to have done

without neglecting the others. He's saying, you should give love, mercy,

justice, peace. You should do that, and you should tithe on all

your increase. The way Jesus even put this bothered me at the beginning,

because I was like, you should have just said it, just say tithe,

my people tithe, and then it could have just been over. But

he said, Michael, the reason that I coded the language because it's a

test. He said, they gotta trust me, and this is a test.

Tithing is a I said, But God, you could have just made

it really, really, really really clear. He said, I did.

He said, you tithe on stuff that don't matter, and you won't tied

on the stuff that it's really my heart. The reason he said it,

he said, this is ordinary. We just tied. Ten percent is set

aside for God. What does that mean for my finances that he's going to

have to take care of them. What does it mean for my vacation that

I might not take one this year? What does that mean for my wardrobe?

Wear it again? No, no, no, I'm telling you,

this doesn't become something that you do if you do not adjust your life.

And most people want the blessing without adjusting their life. I didn't lose weight

by eating the same thing that I ate to get there to get smaller.

I didn't go sit down and watch movies. To get the transformation, I

had to change what I was doing, and too many people when it comes

to finances generosity, we won't change what we're doing. And so the Holy

Spirit said, Mike, God just want you to offer the people a fresh

foundation. And this is what I found. Ninety percent with God's blessing is

better than one hundred percent without it. And for anybody that's struggling with Malakod

three, I did a whole message on it in a different series. I

want you to go. But God told me not to go super deep into

this financial thing. He said, because my people don't need a revelation.

He said, they've matured enough. They just need a reminder. Some of

y'all just need a reminder. You got off holidays, was crazy, some

different things happen. You got hit with some stuff, and God said,

today we're gonna give you a fresh foundation. Malicod three is not a weapon.

It's wisdom. He's saying, honor me, Honor me, Honor me.

God, what I got for you you ain't even ready for. Think

about the language. God said, He's done some pretty wild things, splitting

seas, like letting Ravens be the first uber eats. He's like done all

kinds of really good things. And he says, test me, see if

I won't open up the windows of heaven. What does a window of heaven

look like? Like? Think about like think of that like like think of

your windows, like think of your wind. He said, I'll open the

windows of heaven, and then gets gangster and says, and I'll pour you

out of blessing. You don't have room enough to receive. When you don't

have enough room to keep it all, it means you have to He said,

you tie, I'm gonna bless you so much that you gotta sew.

You gotta seuw. Y'all. If I could, just if I could just

transfer the level of assurance I have in you and having God into you when

it comes to this, I'm a living witness, not because I'm a pastor.

It's because I got the principal, and I want this for every person

that at least calls transformation church or a spiritual home. We are supposed to

change the world, not just through prayer. God, Dog, Oh Lord,

I'm gonna need a whole series. Lord, tell me when I can

do it. Some stuff I shouldn't have to pray about I should just be

able to meet the need. But if you're always in need, you can

never meet. Then I don't pray God provide for me anymore. I pray

God show me who to provide for it. I'm not I see you up

there in a purple suit. What is that velvet? Ay? You?

Over here? Are you talking? And you saying? And I know what?

I know what? The end of me. He's telling you, he's

taking your money, he's stealing. God bless me outside of here. God

told me to write a book, and I obeyed him, and when I

wrote that book, it changed my life. They just told me the relationship

goes just got put in French. I can't speak one word. But I'm

going to Paris with the book, y'all. Mo, you already know I'm

going to Paris. He said, you got it, Mike. They just

called me this week and told me they starting filming on relationship, going to

movie in June. Y'all missed it. I can't play with y'all. I'm

talking about Amazon is making the movie right now. He said, you don't

have to know how I'm about to bless you. But if you honor me

as your foundation. I'll call it from the north, the South, the

east, and no way I allow you to find income from places you didn't

even know we're available to you. The reason they called me is, they

said, because I told them at the beginning. I said, number one,

I want to make a movie movie. Okay, I'm trying to prepare

my church right now for the backlash. Okay, we're making a real movie,

not the Christian like I'm going after the Lost. I want them to

be watching rom coms and find relationship goals, and I want it to be

real to them where they're at. It's baked. Okay, you can't clean

a fish you ain't caught. So I'm not making this movie for church people.

Let me bring a camera. I'm not making relationship goals. The movie

her you. I want to cast it into the sea where people never come

to this church. And but one of the stipulations is that we would be

a part of the movie, like it wouldn't be based on the book.

And then so they gonna come here and shoot scenes at Transformation Church where all

the people. Now, I'm telling you all that, so y'all don't act

wild. I'm telling you now months in a fans because they're gonna be people

like real actors. Like if I start naming them, you'd be like,

oh my god, yes, it's a real it's a movie movie. She

said, Denzel, not Denzel. You're married, ma'am, sit out,

not Denzel. Denzel was out of the budget. Maybe on the next maybe.

But if anybody knows Denzel, you know what I'm saying. The internet

is a powerful thing. If anybody knows Denzel relationship goes to the movie,

it's only crazy, y'all know, how huh? Anyway, but accurrently to

the budget, he is not what the point I'm making is when I decided

to tie, there were already blessings God had that he couldn't reveal to me,

because if he would have revealed him, that would have been the motivation.

And remember, giving is all about the He says, you can't know

what I have up here, because if you knew that, everybody would do

that. That don't take. That would take somebody who don't believe in God

would Yes, that makes sense. Tithing is a two way test. And

I love this because you grow up like, don't question God, don't don't

dum it first off. He can handle all your questions. He is big

enough to handle are the stuff that people can't answer, and he's not obligated

to tell you until you get to heaven. But he is big enough to

handle it. But this is one of the only places it deliberately says,

tests me. And many people don't know this that are believers that every time

you get paid, you take a test whom will you honor with your finances?

Every time that check comes direct deposit, and the first thing that goes

out is who you honor? And most of us honor the mortgage company,

honor the car company for that car. That really was a self esteem boost

because of the insecurity we actually had on the inside of us. And we

thought if we drove that name brand, it would make us feel better.

But we found out it gets dirty and dusty like every other car. And

now this payment is crushing me. But it is not that bad that I

would swallow my pride and turn that sign into a Honda. I'm talking about

real stuff, y'all, Some of the stuff we don't need to pray about.

We just need to make a decision to honor God with this Malakai three

try me test me, It says, See if I wan't do so much

more, but you gotta make me your foundation. Hey, Charles, will

Scott come here real quick? Last analogy? We going home. Let's say

I'm going on a trip and I'm gonna be gone for an extended period of

time. Y'all come right here. I'm'a come be gone for an extended period

of time, and I wanna provide for Natalie, my wife, and I'm

taking care of her, but I wanna provide some extra finances just in case

she gets in a spot. And I'm going to give each one of y'all

ten thousand dollars every hold on. It's just an example, okay, just

an example, Scott, calm down. I'm gonna provide ten thousand dollars extra

for her through all of you. And all I want you to do is

give her a thousand dollars each time I send you the ten thousand dollars.

The other nine you can keep. You can do whatever you want to do

with it. But I just want to give you that money, okay.

And what if I talk to my wife every night? What was that baby?

How you doing? Ooh a misus? You caken? Y'all ever cakeing,

Okay. Cool. So I'm talking to her and I'm like, hey,

you remember those finances that I was gonna have Charles and Will and Scott

give to you. How's it been going? And she's like, yeah,

So Charles sends one thousand dollars every first and fifteen, like clockwork. It's

like thousand dollars, thousand dollars, like it just keeps coming. I'm like,

okay, that back, I said, what about Will? Will,

for some reason sends two thousand. I was like what. I was like,

I just told him to send a thousand, I know, but every

first in fifteenth he sends two thousand and it's just been consistent all over.

And I was like, okay, so what about the thief? I mean,

what about Scott? And he said, well, let's let's talk about

Scott for a second. She said, the first time he sent seven hundred,

the second time he sent five, and this last month he didn't send

anything. And I say, what, Scott didn't send nothing this last month?

She said nothing. I said, but I gave him the ten thousand

dollars. What the other the other nine is his? Yeah? But why

what he spent it on him? Shoes? Them soothes, this sign sues,

this signing. No, this is just an example. Okay, listen,

listen to what I'm saying. Who would I stop sending resources to not

watch this? Not because he's a bad person. It's because he didn't do

what I asked to be done with the resources. And if you don't believe

that's real, go study the parable of the talents, where God literally took

from the one who did not do what he asked him to do and he

gave it to the ones who weren't. Now listen, listen to me.

This is an example of me trying to provide for my bride. But Jesus

calls the church his bride, and he set up a system that his wife

would always have wealth and resources to be able to bless people. And when

we don't do with our resources what he's given us the ability to do.

It is he that gives us the ability to produce wealth. You're working that

job, but he's the one that's given you the activity of your limbs,

the breath in your life, the ability have your right mind. It's him,

and he's saying, you won't even take care of my wife. I

can't send no more seed to the one who won't. So could it be

said that tithing may be more personal to Jesus than we think what everybody stand

Hebrew seven it says here mortal men receive tithes, but there's talking about in

heaven, he Jesus receives them of whom it is witnessed that he lifts.

Hear what I'm saying at whatever church you go to, if you're watching this

online, and Transformation Nation, wherever you're at, if you give here,

I need everybody hear me and everybody don't stop moving. Is like I got

it, pass it, I'm tithing. No, calm down. Hey,

wait a minute, I'm gonna restore hoping to you. I want you to

hear what I'm saying. However you give by passing buckets or plates, or

you send it online or all that other stuff. All I'm asking everybody to

do is make God the foundation of your life, not just send words,

but in action. How do I do that? The tithe? If you

work at McDonald's and your check is five hundred and seventy eight dollars, how

much is the tithe? Fifty seven dollars and eighty cents. You don't got

to round it up. It's blessed at the mark of the ten percent.

And I think the reason he did that is because it's fair to everybody.

If you make three hundred thousand or you make three hundred, it's one penny

on every die. Church. I want to unlock us, and I believe

today is going to be a fresh foundation for so many people under the sound

of my voice. I cannot wait to hear the testimonies of the fruit.

Somebody shout of me, fruit of making God your fresh foundation. And I

have to say this, I hear you, Holy Spirit. Some of you

are saying, I make a lot of money. Do you know how much

money? M I tie this. This is not everybody, but I'm talking

to a small group of people, because you if you started actually tithing,

it'd be enough to buy some cars and some houses, and some land and

some investments. And God says, I can change this if you want me

to. I can change the dynamic of you having so much that your tithe

looks like somebody's income. It reminds me a story in the Bible where the

man of God realized that the people weren't tithing. I think it was Hezekiah

and he realized that he was reading scriptures and found out that tithing was before

the law, it was during the law, and it was after the law.

And he realized that his land, the people he was leading, was

under a curse because they didn't tithe. And so he made a decree that

all of the people should bring ten percent to the House of God, whether

that was a fruit or grain, whatever they had, the increase of their

house, they were to bring ten percent. He went away and came back

and he looked and it was so much there as the ten percent. He

said, are the people okay? This is so much? And the people

reported back to him, and this is what I believe is going to happen

for transformation nation. He said, oh, this is just a ten percent.

If you think this is a lot, go see the ninety that the

people are living in. Somebody should just clap right there. By faith,

there's gonna be a turnaround in your finances, in your mindset, and a

fresh foundation. We're not looking to our job or career. We're looking to

Jehovah Jirah, our provider. If you want a fresh foundation in the area

of finances and make a fresh commitment to tithing, to whatever house of God

that he's called you to, would you just lift your hands now listen before

you live your hands. This is not nobody's taking a screenshot to hold you

accountable, nobody. I'm just talking about the desire. I don't know how

it's gonna happen right now. I got to go back and crunch a bunch

of them. I got the captain crunch these numbers. I don't know how

this is gonna work. I don't but if you have the desire, I

want you to lift your hands in this place. Come on, Father,

I'm praying and the authority that you've given me, and I thank you,

Father God, that just as you broke the spirit of poverty, lack and

low thinking over my life, I thank you for the people that you've called

to this house and those Father who have the faith to connect with this word.

I thank you that you would start a transformation on the inside of every

person under the sound of my voice that would change generational relationships with finance forever.

God. I thank you that they would see you as the source of

their life. That the job is a resource, that the entrepreneur endeavor is

a resource, that the thing that everybody's getting into that's just a resource.

But you are a source, God, and we decide to build our life

on a sure foundation. God, I thank you for wisdom right now for

every person under the sound of my voice, that you're going to show them

the areas that need they need to be intentional to make a transformation in this

one area of tithing and God, I thank you for longevity, commitment,

and I thank you for the blessing. Open up the windows of heaven and

pour them out of blessing they don't have room enough to receive. Thank you

that our minds are changed because we have a fresh foundation. By honoring you,

where our treasure is, our heart would be in Father, we are

telling you our treasure will always be found in your heart and your house.

We give you glory, we give you honor, and we give you praise

in Jesus' nag right there in this same moment before we go, there's some

people that they need a heart transfusion. You can't believe God for your finances

because you've never given them your life. And right now, if you're in

this room and you've never given Jesus your life, today I want to offer

you the most amazing opportunity. It will redeem you from the curse, from

every curse, the curse of your families, the curses of people. You

gotta get under the wisdom the life of Jesus. Today. It changed me.

I can stand as a testimony from a liar, manipulator, addicted to

pornography, had all kinds of crazy things in my heart. And it changed

me not to a perfect man, but a progressing man, a man who

is standing firm on the foundation of Jesus. Today, I want to offer

you that if you're sick of running, you're tired, you're weary, come

to Jesus. Today is the day of salvation. I need the church to

begin to pray because somebody's soul is in the balance right now. Tomorrow's not

promised, but we got this moment right here, and I believe that God's

been drawing you all week. Even if you're watching online, somebody brought you.

I'm telling you this is your moment right now to receive Jesus. I

don't care what you will lose, you will gain way more. You want

food in your life, make Jesus the foundation of your faith. On account

three. If that's you, you want to make Jesus, your personal Lord

and Savior. I don't care how old you are. I want you to

lift your hand. You're making the greatest decision you've ever made too. I'm

proud of you. But your name is gonna be written in the Lamb's Book

of life. Three shoot it up strong, proud. I see you,

my brother, I see a whole row. I see you. Glory to

God, Oh, Transformation Church, I see you, Glory God, husband

and wife. Thank you Lord Online. Just go ahead and put your hand

up in the chat. Glory to God. Hey, at TC, we're

a family. We're all gonna lift our hands and pray this. Somebody say,

God, thank you for sending Jesus just for me today. I give

you my life and make you my fresh foundation. Thank you for living the

life I couldn't live and changing my life, renew me and transform me.

I'm yours in Jesus' name. Amen, all over this place. Can we

give God a shot of pride? Oh? Come on? Can we celebrate

people who just gave their life said Jesus, 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 two A two and to find out more about TC text connect

to A two A two A two. Be sure to subscribe and share this

podcast with your friends. Thanks for listening. Now go out and live a

transform life.