Between Yes & Next // Damaged But Not Destroyed (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. Do today's message all right,

I'm gonna get right into my assignment. Week four of this series called Damage

but not Destroyed. It's gonna be different than the first three weeks. I

feel like, thank you, Caleb. I feel like the first three weeks

we're trying to let you know it was valuable to actually deal with your trauma.

But we're not gonna spend ten weeks trying to convince you. Some of

you want what you got. Okay, y'all, I'm fresh off of rest

with my wife. I'm locked and loaded today I've been in the mountains with

God in Montana looking at nothing but ducks. And the truth is, we're

talking about trauma, and we're talking about what God can do with damage.

But some of you want what you have. You can be sitting there with

the answer all day and you're gonna keep choosing the foolishness that you have.

God been telling you to be single for six months and you still on tender,

still on black planet. Still let me stop. God has told you

to write the book several times, and you continue to blame the circumstance,

the situation and what you do not have for what God is telling you.

Hey will help you. And so today it's gonna be a hard shift in

the series. Everybody say a hard shift because in week one we preached a

message called Snitches, get what Stitching, and we found out that the grace

of God will actually cover every damaged area in your life if you would bring

your damage to him. And we made a decision that we're gonna be honest.

Look at your neighbor and say stop lying. No, because they didn't

believe you. Look at your other neighbor right now, say stop lying.

It hurts you that your father didn't come to those games. Uh, oh,

that was too serious right there? Did y'all feel that it damaged you

that your older brother was always in competition and never encouraged you. It actually

is offensive every time you get around your family and all they talk about is

your weight. Oh oh, that hit her in a different way. That

was like an electrocution, like ah, like my But but the truth of

the matter is they don't ask you how you're doing looking tubby, you've been

eating. Every time you show up, they're asking you where their grandkids are,

but they don't know you silently suffered with miscarriages because you don't trust them

enough to even talk to them about it. Can we be honest? And

in second week, after we acknowledge that we're damaged, we learn that God

can do extraordinary thing with damaged people, Like there's nobody in the Bible that

was used by God who was not damaged. And then last week doctor Anita

Phillips came in here and got us all She got us all right, and

let us know that our healing is connected to what's happening in our hearts.

It's been beautiful. And really what it's been is like, guys, come

on, let's heal, let's deal with our damage. Let's let's move past.

If it's not transformed, then it's transferred, so let's do something about

that. And some people came in here today like all right, let's get

another pep talk about me actually going to counseling. Let's let's let's do spiritual

therapy practice that I'm not gonna listen to this week. What makes me feel

so good that we're talking about trauma. Don't talk about mine, but let's

talk about everybody else getting healed, delivered, and set free. Today I

have to ask everybody a question. And the question is found in John chapter

five, verse one through nine. It says after Jesus returned to Jerusalem for

one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the sheep Gate,

was the pool of Bethesda with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people,

blind people, lame people, paralyzed people, damaged people laid on those

porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty eight years.

When Jesus saw this damaged man and knew he had been ill for a

long time, he asked him, would you like to get well? Another

translation says it like this, and this is my question to you today.

Do you want to be made whole? Do you want to be made whole?

Do you want the relationship to work? Do you want to be made

whole? I want you to imagine Jesus coming to you right now with your

beautiful self, asking you, straight up, point blank, do you want

to be made whole? No? No, no, no, not ethereal

today everything that you complained about, this week, everything, all the reasons

why you told God you cannot be a good parent, all the things that

you said I'll never do in purpose, God's coming to you today and asking

you a simple question. Do you want to be made whole? Now?

I want you not to approach this with a churchy answer of course. Of

course, everybody, Uh think about it, because when you say yes to

God, you say no to other stuff. Let me put it in layman's

terms. Somebody say, do you want to be made whole? Do you

want to live healthy? Uh? Because you have plans to go eat somewhere

today. That is going against what your doctor told you about your blood pressure.

I'm not just a she said, Oh God, do you want to

be made whole? Do you want to tell the truth? Do you want

to date impurity? Do you want to have joy? Do you want to

be able to celebrate other people's wins? Before you start saying yes, I

want you to think about what that means for the way you are right now.

Do you want to be made whole? Do you want to be a

good parent? This is how I was raised, though, see, being

made whole may mean you have to go against the culture you were raised in.

Our beats my kids. Is that punishment for what your parents did to

you and now you're taking it out on your kids because that's all you saw.

You can't work on Smarah Ross. That means you can't use your words.

You haven't learned to communicate at a level to be able to actually express

emotion, and your words have weight with your children. So you hit them,

but then tell them not to hear kids at school, You beat them

for being suspended for fighting. I know I'm walking heavy right now, but

do you want to be made do you want a better parenting style? Do

you want to actually be present for your family? I'm going to gro out.

I'm on a whustle. I want to do it. I'm making a

better life for them, but you're not there in the life with them.

Do you want to steward finances well? Do you want to be on time?

Y'all? Act like I'm asking very hard questions. These are yes and

no. You're late for er Oh, this is the alarm. You set

nine alarms for the job that pays you'll be But you was up at eleven

thirty on Instagram going live with four people. There was four people on there

and two of them. Do you want your words to encourage? Do you

want to be confident? Do you want to live in abundance? Do you

want to forgive your family? Because some of us the only position we play

in our family is the victim. I'm not saying it didn't happen to you.

It's very valid what happened to you, But Jesus is coming to you

today. Do you want to actually forgive them? Do you want to be

made whole or do you want to do be in that position for the rest

of your life? Do you want to apologize? See, everybody wants the

forgiveness part, but some of us need to be on the apologizing part.

Doctor Nita says something last week that jacked me up as a parent. She

said, the biggest sin of a parent is pride. I've been seeing these

memes of how parents apologize. Have y'all seen that, especially black parents.

I'm gonna just tell on us done, God in trouble all that other stuff

and be like you hungry? Are you okay? You want to eat?

What's that game you like? What's that game? What's that game you was

telling your cousin about that? You just say I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

For talking to you that way. I said some things that were out of

my emotion. I had a hard day at work and you didn't deserve that.

I apologize this is too much, but I'm talking about people. Do

you want to be made Do you want accountability? Do you want friendships that

last? Everybody said, did y'all see that? I said, friendships that

last? Yes? Yes, accountability was like, but friendships that last?

The foundation is accountability. No, you can't talk to her. You're committed

to that woman, okay, ah, but your friend's like no, no,

I got you brough, do your thing? Do your thing in the

back. Do you think is that your friend or your enemy? I'm just

sorry. I'm on another level today. Do you want to be a good

leader? Do you desire to work in your purpose? Do you want to

be made whole? Do you want to try again? So many times we've

tried and failed and tried and failed, and some of us has made a

decision, well, I guess this is it, and God saying I know

the last three businesses failed. But do you want to be made whole?

Do you want to move out of grief? Or better way to say it?

Do you want to live beyond sorrow? Do you want to watch this?

Do you want to be content? I know on Instagram every day you're

thinking about what you don't have. How they getting flown out? They don't

I know what people that do? Uh uh? They can't make that much

money? And God said, no matter what anybody else does, could I

make you have peace and contentment with the life that you have? Or do

you get fulfillment out of complaining about what you don't have? Do you want

to be made whole? Big one? Do you want to be in love?

Because in this generation, people are questioning if love is even real And

my thing is if that's what the culture wants to believe. But my Bible

tells me that love is a real thing and it can there's many different ways

of it and fileo and there's so many different loves that are accessible. But

the question is do you want to find love? Do you want to be

made? Who? Pessor, Mike, why are you going through all of

this? Because this man was asked a yes or no question? Do you

want to be made whole? Do you want to be made who? I'm

asking you today, everybody listening, I need your spirit to agree. Jesus

is saying to all of us, you've been convinced that you need to go

from trauma to triumph. But my question to you is do you want to

be made whole? It took me fifteen minutes to walk you through individual scenarios.

You're like, yeah, I could see that, and I could if

you carry the one that feels good, Like what when Jesus comes to you.

I want you to write this down. The only reasonable answer to a

question from Jesus is yes, Lord. That is the only if God comes

to you and says, sell your home and help the needy, the only

reasonable answer yes Lord. If God tells you to take those kids and work

for their adoption, and you don't got no money, and you don't have

no husband, and you don't have no support system, the only answer is

yesterday. When God tells you to plan a church on the north side of

Tulsa and you white white, and that means you're moving all your kids from

eighty first and Memorial to Pine and Peoria, when all your family tells you

no, when all the people who ran with you tells you no, Bishop

and Pastor Debbie said yes, Lord, Oh my God. My question to

you when God is asking you to do something. Why are you not immediately

saying yes, Lord, after all he's brought you through, after all the

times he's shown up for you, because he protected your mind. When God's

when a father says something, even if it doesn't make sense, it's for

your protection, your purpose, or your prosperity. A father never says anything

to his children to hurt them or harm them intentionally. You don't my children.

Ava just got a little scooter, a little situation, something that takes

my money, and she wanted to ride it in the street. It all

looked like the same thing as the driveway to her. It's all concrete.

But she doesn't have a full concept that there are cars that pass by on

that street. So when I told her don't go in the street, Daddy,

why are you yelling at me? No? No, no, no,

no no no. Maybe there was a car right there. I had

to get your attention so you would stay protected. Anything a father says,

it's not for punishment, it's for protection prosperity. And many of us God

is telling us stuff and asking us a simple question, and we're saying,

maybe, Lord, kind of Lord, if the situation lines up, Lord,

can you confirm it nine times, Lord, some of y'all the most

confirmation needing people. Is it not enough that God spoke to you? Let

me see it in the clouds, Let me see it in the movie,

Let me see it in pornography. What that was a real scenario? God,

y'all tell us like them? Where that come? Somebody told me that

God was speaking to them through pornography, Charles, do you know how twisted

and demented the enemy will suggest things when you don't say yes, Lord,

okay, let me move John chapter five, verse seven. God asks this

man a question, and instead of his faith answering, watch this because a

lot of us feel like this. His damage answered. God is talking to

him. He says, do you want to be mayhole? Look at his

response? John chapter five, verse seven. I can't, sir, for

I have no one to put me into the pool? Want to water be

bubbling? Someone else always gets there ahead of me. How many times have

you told God? I can't. It's easy to judge this man because of

his condition, but some of us are telling and I understand it, because

he's literally crippled. Some of us are telling God, I can't, And

it's just because you won't. It's not a real I can't. It's like,

what will people think about it? You could start the Bible study,

but what if nobody comes. Obedience is not about the outcome, Oh kid,

Jesus, God has been telling us to move. Start counseling. We

gotta cost money, so does Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Max, NFL

Ticket. Cancel all of those for a year and see if you can't go

to counseling. I'm walking too heavy right now, cause you need a new

outfit for every weekend, but you're wearing that old soul. I can't.

This man really couldn't, and some of us really can't. But I believe

many times our cant is and I won't. I don't want to, I

don't feel equipped to. And that ain't even a question. Jesus did not

ask him do you have the ability to be made whole? Because then the

right answer would have been I can't, But he just asked him, do

you want to be made whole? And watch this. I need you to

write this down because it reveals the character of our father. Jesus's questions are

always an invitation, never an accusation. He was not trying to accuse him

of anything. He was inviting him into his healing. Do you want to

be a person of integrity? That's not an accusation that you're just a liar,

It's an invitation to a new level of living. Do you want to

be made whole? Do you want to act Willie prioritize your marriage. That's

not saying you're a bad husband or a bad wife. He's inviting us.

And many times when we look at scripture, many times because of our own

childhood trauma or the trauma that we've had with father figures, we look at

God like we've looked at other men on earth, and so when we hear

something that feels strong, we think it's an accusation instead of an invitation.

Jesus did not ask this man did he want to be made whole? To

then be like so sit there, no, no, no, no,

I want to see it for myself, water bubble up. You didn't make

it. That's how we act like God comes to our infirmity that he's waiting

for us to fail. He was inviting him into a miracle, and the

man didn't even know it. And there's many people. My burden is I

know that many people have tried because some people it's not even an excuse.

You said, like, do I want to be made hold? Yes about

somebody? That's why I keep coming to church. That's why I keep loving,

That's why I keep giving? So why keep serving? Do I want

to be made whole? That's why? That's why them bald damage but not

destroyed. That's why, like, has anybody ever done everything you know how

to do? Come on, this man was sitting by the pool. He

could have told people, take me, give me in the desert, take

me somewhere else. He was at least by the place where she knew a

miracle would happen. Some of you are here at church today. At least

you're by the place that you've seen miracles happen. Somebody sent you this link

and you're watching it with discouragement in your heart. But at least your body

just want to be made whole. But Jesus write this down? Is it

looking for explanation? He's looking for expectation. This man, when Jesus asked

him the question do you want to be made whole? He starts explaining why

he couldn't. And all Jesus wanted to know is do you expect something because

I'm here. I done showed up the God of your universe. I know

you don't heard about me. Put some respect on my name. When God

shows up to your situation, he's not ever showing up to leave it the

same. And many times, when we should be met with expectation, we

start telling and giving God explanations. And may I dare say, for some

people, your explanation has turned into an excuse. You've been saying the same

thing for fourteen years of why you can't do what God God said. Please

keep your explanation. I know it already, Please keep your excuses. All

I need you to do is trade in your explanation of why you can't and

your excuses of why you won't. And I need you to trade it for

expectation. Maybe today is the day it lost. It didn't fail, it

didn't work three more times before, but maybe fift times a charm. It's

third times a charm, maybe fifth times a charm. Okay, I need

to encourage somebody's faith, okay. Verse eight, Look what Jesus does.

Jesus told him stand up, pick up your mat and walk. Did Jesus

just ignore his explanation and his excuses and call him to something bigger than anything

he's ever done. I want you to see the character of my God.

He will ask you, do you want to be made whole? Nod?

I can't because no, no, no, no, no, no cool?

Stand up, pick up your mat walk ah. Well, God,

I didn't have an education. I had six months of TCC education. Stand

up, pastorist church, Read your Bible, lead a generation to me.

Oh, I'm telling my own testimony right now. God will ignore your explanation

to call you into something. Is anybody glad that God has ignored your excuses?

I need to find the grateful people that when you gave God a list

of why you couldn't he say yea ya ya ya yea, yeah, yeah,

I hear all of that. But I will empower you to do what

I'm calling you to do. Your words don't have that much power with the

God of the universe. I need you to see something that I found in

the scripture. Jesus told him. He didn't suggest to him, he didn't

present options. He commanded him. Go with me. In the mind of

my movie. I can't I stand up. It's a little insensitive, you

know, I'm crippled you know I'm damaged. You know I haven't. I

haven't used I haven't used anything like that in years. Stand up. Some

of y'all, it's not stand up. Start up? Well, God,

God, I don't nobody in my fence start up. Some of y'all it's

not start up. Show up, Well, God, they don't. They

don't like people like me there, show up. Nobody, nobody that has

my skin complexion has ever owned anything like that. Show up. Some of

y'all, it's not show up. Some of y'all show up. Well,

my little ten dollars ain't gonna do it. I said, so up to

where you think you want to be. He literally, he commands him,

and I just feel in the spirit that God's I'm about to say encouraging,

because that seems better. He's commanding you. Stand up. I know the

trauma that's happened to you. I was there that I've covered you all of

these years. I've protected your heart, I protected your soul. But don't

give me another year of excuses of why you can't be the leader that I've

caused you to be. Stand up. I don't need to know all of

the reasons why nobody in your family has done this. I've been trying to

get somebody for forty years to just stand up and take on. I already

got the grace for you to do it. I'm right here with you,

but you gotta make a decision to stand up. What I wanted to tell

everybody today is God's calling is a command. Most of us act like it's

an option. I hear so many people like, man, I know,

I mean, I know I'm called to speak. You know what I'm saying,

But you know I'm just waiting. No, no, no, that

is not an option for you. If God calls you to do something,

it's a command. And I am sick of counsel generations of people who know

God has spoken to them. You know he told you to do something,

and you still are deciding if you are going to do it. I'm up

here doing this not because I want to. If it was up to me,

I would be producing music and I would come to church online like y'all.

I'd be in my draws in a role right now, eating Captain Crunch,

sitting on my chap maybe in the jacuzzi, and I would be watching

on the screen and I'd be like, hey, man, pass me.

But the reason I'm up here. This wasn't a choice for me. He

called me, and it was a command. I'm oh my God, stand

up, stand up. I'm saying it till something inside of you shakes.

Stand up. You will not be it won't have to pass to another generation.

Stand up. Deal with your issue so you can be deliverer for so

many. Stand up, I feel this sting. Be everything God called you

to be. Stand up, Take up your space. Somebody shot at me.

Stand up. You either stand up in your calling or sit in your

can't. Those are your only two options. Stand up in your calling.

I will take up my face. I will have dominion. I will be

everything God told me to be. I'm going to be an ambassador of the

Kingdom on this earth, whether it's in education, special needs, government,

music, I'm gonna do everything God called me to do. It don't matter

if nobody's done it before. I'm gonna be a passor that does music,

movies, preachers. I'm gonna do everything. If you put it in me,

it's coming out of me. Wat stand up. I can either stand

up in my calling or sit in my I can't. And may I say

the reason why it seems like evil is winning everywhere. It's because too many

people whom God has commanded and called to do something are still sitting in there.

I can't. If you want to sit in here, I can't.

You can have that. But Transformation Church, it's gonna be a church of

people with crazy faith that are gonna stand up. Somebody shot at me one

more time. Stand up by faith, everybody. If you're sitting down right

now, stand up at your job tomorrow. Some of y'all just gonna be

standing. You're gonna get a stand up desk with the little motor. I'm

like, I ain't sitting no more. What you're doing, I'm standing up.

Ah, I mean, just by faith. Hold hands with your husband

and your wife. We standing. I know we live in a community with

poverty right now, but we're gonna buy this community one day. The only

reason God put me here so I could see the depravity and know that I'm

the answer for this. Ah No. I had to struggle to get through

college so I know what it felt like. So then when God blesses me,

I'll start a college fund. You're not famous, I'm funded. I'll

do whatever God asks. Stand up, y'all, sit down? Is it?

That easy to make you fall off of what God told you to do.

Oh is it that easy? Oh? Is it that easy? If

somebody just tells you, I said, stand That's all it takes is one

person to say I don't like your idea. Nobody's ever done that before.

You can't lead a multi ethnic church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. That's the shot

at me one more time? Stand up now, y'all scared to sit down

on the rest of the message. Okay, no, no, for real,

everybody can sit down this time. Okay, look at him. They're

like, I don't know if he's playing. I promise I got you.

Look. Some of people was like, oh I got crazy fights stand in

the rest of the message. I really feel like God asked them ask this

man that question, do you want to be made whole? Because he knew

what was next. Anytime God comes to you and say, hey, do

you do you actually want to walk in freedom? Do you want to be

everything I've called you to be? It's not because he's trying to play you.

He's trying to prepare you. He knew what was next for this man,

Like I want you to imagine Jesus strolling up. There were other damaged

people there. This was a pool with all the damaged people at it,

and then Pharisees and saddesties hated because they didn't want people healed on the wrong

day. That's a whole nother situation. Be careful because some of y'all's healing

is gonna offend people because it didn't happen how they thought it should. Some

people don't like me, not because I did anything wrong, it's just they

don't think I should qualify. But it's a bunch of damaged people. And

God comes up to this man and says, do you want to be made

whole? Because he came in there with healing, restoration, and resurrection on

his mind. When Jesus shows up, he's never showing up to assess the

situation and walk away. He's always coming to transform the situation. The only

reason he doesn't is if you don't want him to. My question to you

is not just do you want to be made whole? Another question do you

want what's next? I need you to answer that question for real, because

for many of you, that question means your life don't get to stay the

same. Because some of us was like, do you want to be made

whole. Yes, and then God says, do you want what's next?

Tell me what's next. I want to be made whole, but depending on

what you're planning for next and what I'm planning for the healing, the deliverance,

I'll take that. But after you heal me, then I'm in control.

After you bless me with the finances or the ability to produce, well,

now I control the money. After you raised me out of that situation.

Now I'll be lord of my life. And God saying to you,

he's like, no, no, no, no no, that's why he

tells the man. He's like, you got to pick up that mat.

After I heal you, I'm not going back to that. No, no,

no no. It's the proof that I did this. If you walk

around like you've always been walking, it's been thirty eight years, boy,

since you've walked, and people who just meet you will think you've walked all

thirty eight years. People think you've always been a good business person. They

don't know you went bankrupt twice. People see you in this marriage and always

think that you was a purity, but you was a playboy. People always

have thought you were a woman of worship. You as a hout. Now

you're judging people. Look at her skirt. Stop it. What God says

to many of us without telling us what it is. Do you want what's

next? And this is where you have to trust the character of our God.

Most people want the healing but don't want what's next. And this man,

do you want to be Mayho? Our answer today collectively is yes,

and then there's a next. And today would be very easy for me to

just shout at you about getting up and walking and taking your mat and having

the miracle. But there's a bunch of people listen listening to this message that

are between yes and next. That's what I want to title this sermon.

I only got a few more points, but I need you to hear me

because somebody's about to be shaken because they don't know what to do between the

yes I want to be made whole and what God has next for me?

Between yes and next, Look what happens Verse eight. Jesus told him stand

up, pick up your mat and do what. Do something Listen to me

that you've never done before the five thirty eight years of history. Pick up

the place where you've been laying and do something you've never done before. We

act like it's some simple thing, like it's like oh yeah, like yeah,

stand up, pick up your mat, walk yep, forgive them.

Yeah, move to another city and start your career over. Don't have a

plan for you, plan to prosper for you, not to harm you,

to give you a hope in the future. Get out of that relationship,

deactivate all your social media. Read through the New Testament, and many of

you right now say that's extreme. It don't take all of that. Bring

me a Matt Please. I need y'all to see this, Like, just

just just put yes and next on the screen for me. Yeah. Just

just lay it right here. Yeah, just just lay it this way.

Yeah yeah, just lay it, lay it like this way, this way,

this way. There you go. Do you want to be mayhope?

Yes? That means that means I'm gonna have to leave what has become comfortable.

I mean I don't want to be here, but I've formed some I

formed some comfort. I've learned how to roll it up. Man, get

a little I mean it don't really fit me, but let me get a

little tighter. Because he not he not marriage material, but I mean he

keep me warm at night. I mean it's not I know it's not God's

best for me, but it's not bad. Maybe I need it's formed to

my body. Now yeah, yeah this is comfortable. But yes, Lord,

whatever you want from me stand up. So the way this is set

up from here to there doesn't work. The way that's set up that if

anybody's going to do that, they have to have these level of connections.

The way this is set up, I don't know if I'll ever be able

to move past that pain because every time I try to move this it hurts.

See, we don't know if this man. Every time somebody says somebody's

paralyzed, they always think that people don't have any pain there. They think

that, oh it's numb they can't feel. But many times paralyzed people,

if you do research, they can't move it, and when they try to

do it, it's excruciating pain. And many times, so many of us

have tried. So many times. This man tried every time the pool bubbled

up to get to the water, because if they got to the water,

she could be made whole. So DoD you came and asked me, do

I want to be made whole? Do you not know? Every day I'm

watching for the bubble so that I can get out of this position. Every

time somebody asked me, do I want a prophecy? That's why I go

to all these conferences and give one hundred dollars for miracle water. Don't act

like, okay, do I want to be made whole? Some of us

have been trying so hard. We've tried stuff that we know was in God.

God. I've tried praying in the spirit, and I've tried crystals.

I've tried psychics and zodiac so I know it was wrong, but I want

to behold so bad I'm willing to try anything. And God's saying, all

right, stand up, stand okay, stand up a stand up. I

think I know what that means. Standing. That's what they do. Stand.

I've never stood before. I've never I've never done this before. I've

never I've never had anybody ask me to do this before. So there must

be something you see in me. Because you're here with me. You must

be speaking to things that are in me that I don't even know are there.

Stand up. It would have been different if Jesus would have came to

him. I want you all to see this and said, hey man,

I'm gonna pick you up. I'm gonna make the water bubble, and I'm

gonna put you in there. That would have made complete sense to all of

us. Dang, he's a good Jesus. He gonna come on the day

where it's not supposed to bubble, make it bubble, pick him up?

Between yes and next, it's not Jesus' work, it's yours. Light claps,

because you want Jesus to do your work. Why you have to sign

up for counseling because that's not Jesus' work. It's your work. Why you

have to get into a big group for accountability, that's not Jesus, it's

your work. This man had to what is in between yes and next?

Watch this your faith? Watch watch watch This man had to use his crazy

faith to even try to use what was broken? What did it look like?

Stand up? H h o o ah oh but oh yes yah h

not this y ha ah how h h. He stood up. But that

wasn't the end of the instruction pick up your pants. But he may have

been exposed. He might have been in a vulnerable position because his clothes were

meant for laying, not for stamping. He's always been So if maybe he

was a little vulnerable trying to stand, maybe he made noises they never heard

him make before. Maybe it didn't look, but it didn't just say stand

up, It said what pick up? So depending on how tall he was,

I can't pick up this match from a standing position. Those very muscles

that I just got up enough courage to get up. I gotta go by

faith. This man has never done this, but by faith. Somebody shot

at me. By faith, he probably didn't use his whole hand. Pick

up your man. That was the second command. Now what And most believers

are okay with just standing. I've done what nobody else did. Look what

God has done at Transformation Church in nine years. We just we just got

to standing inicking up our man. You haven't even seen us walk, kid.

We got our testimony, But baby, the dominion steps that we're about

to take, the territory that we're about to leave our footprint in. If

somebody got trazy faith to stand up, pick up your mat and what I

got, don't mean I got, don't mean yet I got, don't mean

everywhere your feet will draw. What's between the yes I want to be made

whole and the next of the miracle. It's crazy faith. Faith begins,

we're understandings, we'll pass awake. I was talking to my friend and trainer,

and God's been speaking to him, and he said, bro, I

keep getting stuck on the how. I know God says some stuff, but

I keep getting stuck on the how. I said, God never asked you

to come up with the how. He's already got the how do you have

faith to obey what he says to do? When God told me and woke

me up and said, right down that Spearitbank Evince Center will be Transformation Church,

I did not know how that's gonna happen. This building was built for

fifty four million dollars. I've never counted to fifty four million, never counted

to one million. Come on, let's be honest. After it get to

one hundred, it's like a thousand, ten thousand, we start counting by

the thousands. He didn't ask me how it was gonna happen. He said,

do you believe what I said? And I believed it enough. I

use my crazy faith enough to write it down and he did. The All

I'm saying is some of y'all are saying, yes, I want to be

here from the trauma. Yes, I want to be delivered from the pain.

Yes, I want to be the man of God He's called me to

be. Yes, I want to be a woman of periody. Yes I

want to. And then God said, I got something next. But between

it's all you and I'll give you the faith you need to do it,

but I cannot do it for you. All right, we gotta go home.

Four things that I've learned from my walk with Jesus when I've been between

yes and next. Number one, what do you do between yes and next?

You invest your faith investing. I'm gonna try every crazy thing God tell

me to do, cause it's better than sitting right here. This man is

paralyzed. What's his better option? No, never mind, God of the

universe, I'll sit here in my crippled, comfortable spot, he said.

Stand up. He was like, well, shoot, I'm about to try,

and some of y'all should just try to do what God said, because

you have everything to gain and not. What if I wouldn't have wrote down

that the Spirit Bank event center was Transformation Church. What if I was like,

that's to be God, I can't do that. We wouldn't be sitting

here today because of my lack of just trying. Somebody say, invest your

faith. Hebrews eleven one says, now faith. Everybody say now faith,

not yesterday's faith, not your grandmama's faith, right now, the faith you

have in this room, not even before you got to church today. Everybody

say, now, you know the powerful thing about now is now. So

you could have been doubting a moment ago, but right now, I believe

God can't do something. I believe the diagnosis is not gonna kill me.

I believe that God is going to help my son be able to overcome autism.

I believe right now. Faith is the substance of things hoped for.

Some of y'all gotta get y'all hope back wood. The enemy is stolen your

hope, hope to be married, hope to be able to bless your family,

hope to be able to be a different just hope. Hoping's free.

But the enemy tries to convince you that you can't hope. Hope is the

fuel for faith. You can't have faith if you don't have hope. Oh

God, Now, faith is a substance of things hopeful, the evidence of

things not seeing there is a future that is not seen, that only gets

pulled into the present when you supply it with your faith. Guess I'm like,

how did this happen? Cause when I was broke, nobody come into

the church, no money in the bank, twenty two people watching on YouTube.

I stood up in my church and said, this church will be a

multi ethnic, multi generational, multiplying, multi campus church. And then people

clap. How y'all just clap. But the thing about it is we started

from the bottom. Now we're here. All I'm telling you is that you

don't have to have a group of people to believe it. I had now

faith and watch this. The reason why investing your faith right now is important

when you're in between, because I'm like, I all know what to do.

Know God has the calling of my life, and I have not seen

it yet. Invest your faith right now. When you invest your faith,

watch this, it produces the future. I'm working on some stuff right now

that don't make no sense. If my self phoned notes is so loaded with

vision for the future, I can't let nobody get in there because it would

scare you because most people cannot understand. Chad was texting me yesterday. I

think he Instagram messaged me Chad's over our video production and stuff like that,

and he tap me, text me and he was like, I saw you

at the Double Wards. He said, we need to do our own award

show. And me and my wife had just finished talking about Charles. You

was there, He's I said, we need to do technology screens platform.

We do that every day. Why don't we have some type of reward show

that highlights what God's doing all around the kingdom that's not built by politics or

how many this and that, and like why don't like? But most people

when I say that type of VENTI why we already have the Grammys. We

already have this, We already have that. It's time for us to take

dominion. So what are you saying? It ain't happened yet. There was

a yes in my spirit, But I'm in between. So what I do

I invest my faith because my faith will produce the future. Second thing you

need to invest right now if you're in between. Now, some of y'all

have already made it. You already in the miracle season. But the crazy

thing about it is every time you get into a miracle season, you have

another between season. I don't care where are you at right now? God

will always put you in a predicament that will require your faith. I am

in a place right now that God is requiring my faith at a brand new

level after all of this, after writing crazy faith, you think you would

get a year past if you wrote a book about crazy faith? He said,

no, no, no, no. Faith is a muscle that when

you stop working it, you lose the ability to everybody do like this.

Faith is a muscle. My question is when the last time you work the

muscle of faith? Or is everything you do based on fact? If you're

in between, I'm almost done. The second thing you need to do is

invest your focus. One of the greatest tactics of the enemy is to distract

you when you're in between. You know you're in between relationships. You just

got up a bad one and then this food come up, and here the

one dude you wanted to talk to when you was available, but right in

the season that God told you spend time with me. Let's up together,

let's commune. No Danal though, is danal though? I don't know where

these names come from. But danal though, everybody say focus, I remember

seeing Has anybody ever been to the Kentucky Derby, or you've seen those purebred

horses that run one of the things that everybody has to do that have that

type of power in horse, they put blinders on them on the side of

their eyes because if they look peripherally, they will get off of the track

that they're supposed to be on. And some of us with Instagram don't have

any blinders. With Facebook, you follow back every person that follows you.

That means you give them access to distract you at any moment of the day,

and you have notifications on thinking, blinking, blinking, blinking, distraction,

distraction, distraction, invest your focus Hebrews twelve to eleven. No discipline

is enjoyable. Why it's happening. It's painful. But after that focus of

being disciplined and doing the same thing over and over, even when you don't

want to, there will be a watch. These two words that are rarely

ever together peaceful harvest. Now, anybody we read over that like it's something

that's like, oh, yes, that's what I want. Anybody that ever

hasn't had a farm knows that harvest time ain't peaceful harvest. What blisters son,

eating your face up, sweat heavy, if it's a big harvet.

But God says, if you're disciplined for a season, allow your harvest to

be peaceful. That's the type of prayer we should be praying. But don't

pray it if you won't stay focused in discipline. Ah Bishop told me one

time. He said, Michael, a season of discipline would produce a lifetime

of freedom if you would invest your focus on what God is saying right now

while you're in between. Just invest your focus. Spend more hours on that

than Netflix. Spend more hours on what God said than being out and partying

and trying to be places. Listen. When you invest your focus, it

produces freedom. I think about my life right now. When I was younger,

I was doing stuff a lot of people weren't doing, trying to get

better at my craft, trying to be better at what God and just in

the direction of what God called me to do. And because of that,

by the time I was twenty eight years old, I was one of my

own companies. I had all this stuff that I was doing, and it

was producing freedom for me because I had a season of focus. What I'm

telling every person in this room is God saying, your next season of freedom

is not based on anything else except what you focus on today. Invest your

faith, invest your focus. Watch this one. You're gonna not expect it.

Invest your finances. One of the greatest things that I've ever done,

between my yes and my next is use crazy faith and invest my finances.

And y'all think I'm talking about an offering. That's a part of it.

But what are you investing your finances in right now? Look at Luke twelve

thirty four. For where your treasure is, there, your heart will be.

Also, your money is a GPS system to where where your heart is.

Most of our hearts are on things that cannot help our future. You

got every Steve Madden shoe, you got every Michael Corp's person, and you

got all the golf clubs or you didn't think I was coming for you.

You got guns you'll never use. You got houses and rental houses, and

God said, what in that was eternal? And what of that is even

beneficial for you. I'm not saying you can't buy stuff, but I just

want you to do an inventory of what you have spent money on in the

last twelve months. Where's your heart? I'm not saying where it is?

Go to your Harvest account, your Bank of America account, your Chase account,

and tell me where your heart is. Somebody us heart is on your

house, but you have no PEME and it would be better for you to

move into an apartment for a season and go to counseling so that you and

your husband could at least the last three years you have with your child in

the house. It could be an environment where they actually see two people trying

to love each other and do it God's way. But you would rather be

in a gated neighborhood and actually bound in your spirit. Pastor mic, give

me another example, because it just feels okay. Do you know how much

money I've invested in training over the past three years. I could have bought

a luxury car with how much money I spend to have another grown adult come

to my house and say I'm here, coach, and he the coach.

But he called me coach and say come outside, we gotta work out.

He came to my house this morning, six am. And sometimes I be

hoping he don't show up. Can I be honest, I don't pray that

he gets hurt. Well, sometimes just prais card stops and like clockwork,

I've invested. But what I'm able to do this last two months of me

traveling and showing up and being on shows and doing all this stuff. My

body could not have taken it had I not been training for the past three

years for the moment of purpose that God has me in. Right now,

you buying shoes, you need to buy a book. I'm gonna kill him

with these and still be dumb like the truth of the matter, like you

in no new language, no new skill. I have learned stuff in books

that have changed the trajectory of my life. Mike, how did you learn

about money? A book? I need? So I need a mentor.

The greatest place to find a mentor for cheap is a book. Okay?

What do you say in pastor? Mike? When you invest your finances in

between it produces fruit. See when I invest my finances, I never sew

something that I don't think I'm getting a return on. There's nothing you invest.

No good person invests anything hoping that it goes away. You invest with

faith that it's coming back. Multiplied passer, Mike, why are you so

and blessed? Because I invest a lot of finances into people, places,

and the kingdom of God. I'm not talking about the checks that we give

million. No, that's from us, that's from all of us. What

I'm talking about when I go to pop Eyes, rolling out of here,

and the Holy Spirit says, go by pop Eyes, and I'm thinking he's

gonna let me get a chicken sandwich. He said, grilled blackened chicken.

I was like, Ah, why am I here? Lord? And I

pull up to the thing. God says, take all your money out of

your walle and give it to this girl. Well, I at least deserve

a chicken sandwich after that. Lord, I can't tell you how many times

I've told Scott, go get a thousand dollars out of my account. Why.

I don't know. I do not know why. I'm taking the money

you've given me, and I'm gonna give it to people that I guess are

praying to you guests, asking God, would you just show up for me?

Oh? God, And you did say in your word you will give

seed to the I ask for this. Oh, now get two thousand.

Why because I'll be ready whenever God asked me for anything. It ain't mine

anyway. Okay, that's a whole other message. But the thing about fruit

is fruit never comes without more seed. Not this genetically modified y'all. Even

the seedless grapes, that's from a Science Fair experiment. I don't like the

grapes. That's what's producing the fruit. Too many people are trying to get

genetically modified blessings. You think it's a magic trick. And all the way

back to the beginning, it's seed time and harvests. Want you want to

reap something, sow something God. And when you're in between, you invest

your faith, you invest your focus, you invest your finances, last one,

last one, you invest ooh, your faithfulness. You keep doing it.

You don't just stand up. You show up nothing changed. But I'm

gonna keep doing it. People left the church because of the spit incident and

then Easter, and then I'm gonna still be here. What if everybody leaves,

then it's gonna be me, Charles Breed, Natalie and whoever else down

here that's gonna ride with us, Like Professor Mike this that the third I'm

gonna be faithful. But pause, somebody, you don't see all these women

out here trying to give you advance. I'm faithful to Natalie, Diane Tod

I'm not blind. I'm just in covenant. You gonna look dumb stepping to

me. Please, sweetheart, you must have me confused. I'm faithful.

The reason I tie it's not because I'm trying to earn my position in God.

I'm already redeemed, I'm already forgiven. I'm already righteous. But the

reasonable response to the God who's given me everything I had and brought me out

of all the stuff I've been in and gave me any type of leadership as

you ask for ten percent, that's the bare minimum. I'm faithful. I

don't even see it no more. It come out right where Uncle SAMs?

Why because ninety percent with his blessing it's better than one hundred percent with mine?

Faithfulness? Passor Mike? Why should we be faithful when we're in between

yes and our next Luke sixteen ten, I'm so glad you asked you.

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.

But if you are dishonest in little things, you will be honest with

greater responsibilities. All you have is all you need to prove that you're faithful.

Be faithful over the job you got, Be faithful over the two people

you lead, be faithful in the little money you got, because it's the

same muscle of faith. When you invest your faithfulness, watch this, it

produces flourishing. Yeah, how long I like to flourish. I want everything

that God allows me to do. I want it to continue to move forward.

So right now, if you like that man who was on his mat

and God says, do you want to be made whole? Our answer today

is what yes? And I know there's some great miracle that's coming next.

But what's in between it is my crazy faith. I'm gonna have crazy faith

and I'm gonna invest my faith. I'm gonna invest, invest my focus,

I'm gonna invest my finances and I'm gonna invest my faithfulness. That's somebody.

Is it that simple? Yeah? Because I don't know what's next. Only

God does. I think about it. Every year I was telling Charles before

every year since twenty fifteen, I want to tell you a testimony of what

broke the back of poverty over our ministry. And this was scary for me.

Bishop gave me the baton and said I want you to lead this church.

The church had done amazing things. We were in a financially depressed place

like, there wasn't a grocery store within how many miles, bishop like fourteen

fifteen miles, no fresh produce. All they had was family dollars everywhere,

And y'all know the only thing family dollars is good for. It's honey buns.

Y'all know, chips and candy killing the community all this other stuff.

And we felt called to reach those people, and we still are. But

God said, Michael, I want you to lead out of this, but

it's gonna take crazy faith. I went to Tammy and I told her,

I said, we're gonna take an offering and every dollar that's raised, we

are gonna give it to another church. And back then there wasn't no huge

savings account. That was like, yeah, let's definitely do that. Every

penny, dime and quarter was necessary, needed and counted, and God said,

this is gonna take faith for you. We got up on that Sunday

and the people's faith in that room, Oh, I can refill it right

now. We raised eight three hundred and twenty one dollars and thirty eight cents,

and you sitting here like, yay, it might as well been eight

hundred thousand dollars because when it comes to giving your finances. It's not about

a mountain, It's about obedience. One of the greatest sacrificial offerings that Jesus

talks about was a woman who gave two mites what amounts, And ever since

then we've been doing every year a time where we challenge our faith. We've

called it heart for the Kingdom, We've called it our what else? Have

we called it tabernacle offering? But it's just all it is is a moment

where you and God get together and say, I want to move past this

place that I am, and I'm gonna believe God in crazy faith and I'm

gonna succeede. And for some of you, this is one of the things

that we're going to do. We're not doing it today. Everybody, uncleanch

your booty cheeks and everyone's like, oh no, no, this is not

I just the Bible tells us not to give with compulsion or out of manipulation

or anything. Seven weeks from now seven all I want you to do is

pray and ask God, is this something that you want me to do?

Are you trying to challenge me into another level of what's in my next And

all around the world people sew in crazy faith. And this is the thing.

You don't have to sew in this. I would rather some of y'all

make a decision when it comes to your finances to actually just be faithful.

You don't got to give above and be on your tithe And I just commit

this next year, starting the next paycheck, I am going to be faithful

of setting aside ten percent. And somebody's like, I don't have enough money

to tie. That's the testimony. You will never have enough until you start

doing it. I'm just telling you this is not an offering message, but

I just feel to challenge somebody in this. On December tenth, we're gonna

give it a crazy faith offering. This is not about you doing anything to

do a slot machine to God. I need to say this to everybody because

a lot of people are like, I'm writing down on my crazy faith and

I'm giving a hundred on it. No, no, baby, two separate

things. You can make your prayer request known every day. You can come

to the Throne of Grace boldly. But one of the things that's changed me

forever is stepping beyond what makes sense, saying God, if you tell me

this and so this is all. I'm asking you pray about it, and

whatever God tells you to do, I want you to do that. Now.

This is the one thing I'm gonna tell you. The Devil will never

tell you to give because some of y'all, the Holy Spirit is gonna say

something. You're gonna say, Devil, get behind me. For God so

loved the world, he the enemy is the opposite of God. So everything

that God does, the Enemy hates, so he'll never tell you to give.

If God tells you to do something, I want you to do it.

Me and Natalie our church. This is customary for us to step into

this next level. But I believe there's something significant that's gonna happen because many

of us in this room feel in between. Is there anybody that this message

has just spoke to something you feel in betweens? Yeah? Okay, Today

I'm gonna pray that God would increase your faith to make the step you need

to make that He can't make for you. For some of you, your

faith needs to be increased to make the call to counseling this week. For

somebody else, your faith needs to be increased so you can actually fill out

the application to go back to school. For some of you, your faith

needs to be increased so you can put down the blunt. For some of

you, your faith needs to be increased so you can stop the subscription.

I don't know where it is for you, but if you need your faith

to be increased in an area so that you can see what's between your yes

and your next, I need you to stand up wherever you are, remember

the command will stand up. And as you stood up, stand up,

could you just lift your hands right now? I want to pray for you,

Oh my god Father, I thank you who I feel the presence of

God Father. I thank you for your people. Today we have felt your

love and your conviction that Father, it would be your love that you would

come see us in a paralyzed position, feeling like we've been looked over and

we've missed our opportunity for years and years, and by your loving kindness,

you come right up to us and ask us do we want to be made

whole today? Our answer is yes. Come on, just say it with

faith one more time, Yes, God, as we are here saying we

want to be made whole. We want to be delivered from the damage and

the triggers and the trauma and the excuses and the explanations. Today, God,

we know we're going to need your help because we know you have something

great next for us. But this next step is going to take us using

our faith. Would you increase the measure of our faith today? Would you

give us another measure of faith God, to believe you, past our past

experiences, to believe you, past our disappointments. Father, God, we

believe, but help our unbelief today. You're big enough and good enough to

deal with the parts of us that are still doubting. God. So today,

whether it's from the trauma from our childhood or the pain of our past,

today we're bringing all of our damage to the designer and God, we're

asking you, could you do something with what we have that is greater than

we expected. I thank you that we have the faith to try. Father,

And as the miracles begin to start happening, I thank you Father that

we will not say it was because of our effort only yes, we made

the call, but the spirit that works through the counsel their Father God,

I thank you. It's not by might, not by power. It's gonna

be by your spirit. You're gonna hook us up with the right, people,

You're gonna get us in the right community. Father, as we step,

you're stepping towards us as well. Today, God, I thank you

that people are not just gonna stand up, but they're gonna pick up the

mat their testimony, and they're gonna walk and take dominion. Today, God,

we're saying, take over now, unto him who is able to do

exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask, think or imagine. We need that

God to give us the faith to do what's next. We trust you,

we believe you, and we think thank you in that same attitude. Right

now. If you're in here and you need to make Jesus Christ your Lord

in savior, today is your moment. By faith, how am I get

done make sins? And no, no, no, no, That's exactly

faith begins where understanding ends. God is saying today, by faith, you

can believe that Jesus was sent to the cross to take on the penalty that

me and you should take for our sins. And if you believe in that

that he rolls from the dead and he's sitting at the right hand of the

Father right now, you can be saved literally the penalty you should take for

all the crap you've done. Excuse me, all the crap I've done.

A lie, youar manipulator, addicted to pornography, all this thing. And

Jesus said, yeah, just give me your heart, because if you give

me your heart, I'll help you change your habits. I'm standing here today

as a testimony of the grace of God, and today maybe your next step

between your yes and your next is accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and savior.

I know there's hundreds of people that need to make that decision, and

I need the church to start praying because life and death is worrying right now

for you. And God says, I called you. This is a command.

I got you here to watch it, and this is your moment.

If today you want to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior on

the counter of three, I just want you to lift your hands. If

you're in the room, or you're watching online or rebroadcast, you're watching on

YouTube, it does not matter. Today. The spirit of the God is

drawing you right now. One you're making the greatest decision of your life.

Two I'm happy and we gonna turn up. But your name is about to

be written in the Lamb's Book of Life for all of eternity. Three shoot

your hand up if you want to accept Jesus. I see you, my

brother, I see you, my sister. All Transformation Church, I see

I see you. Oh, come on, y'all. This is how we

shout hallylujah. See you, young people, old people. You can put

your hands down at Transformation Church. Nobody prays alone. Today We're gonna pray

because you just made a step into your next Everybody just lift your hands and

say God, thank you for sending Jesus just for me. Today. I

repent and I turned to you. I believe you lived, you died,

and you rose again with all power to transform my life. Change me,

renew me, transform me. I'm yours in Jesus' name. Amen, Welcome

to the Kingdom. Can we sell them? Can we celem pray what God

has done? Holley Louijah. So proud of you, So proud of you,

my brother. The Alter team is coming right now. If you just

made that decision, I want you to take your phone out and hit the

QR code that's gonna come up on the screen, and we want to give

you some next steps. Want to walk with you. You may need to

get in the B group. I want you to know you may be damaged

to not destroyed before me dismissed today, there's some people in here that need

prayer. They need to agree with somebody. I don't care if you're going

through a situation. It feels like how somebody heard what you said. But

I need somebody to agree with me about this next step that I need to

make, this in between thing that I need to do. I want you.

I do not want you to leave this place without prayer. If you're

online, just put in the chat you need prayer for something. Our team

and people all around the world are gonna pray with you right there in the

chat. We're gonna sing this song real quick. And I just want the

presence of God to start to speak to you. Listen at the end of

every message, listen to me. Even as you're leaving. I want you

to ask, Holy Spirit, what are you trying to say to me.

I've said a lot of stuff, but the Spirit wants to speak to you.

Father. I thank you that you would allow this message to permeate in

people's hearts, that they would go back and watch it over and over,

and you would illuminate to them what you want them to do. Father God,

thank you for being with us in between our yes and our next,

and we'll give you all the glory, all the honor, and all the

praise and Jesus' name. Somebody shout a mayor, you can come down from

prayer from all over this place and for everybody that's watching it, go out

and live a transformed life. 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

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friends. Thanks for listening. Now, go out and live a transformed life.