Are Your Ducks In A Row Ducks In A Row (Part 1)

0:58 for more information. Well, is anybody excited about the word today? Hey, listen, man. I am so excited about what we are about to get into. This is week one of a series that we are calling Ducks in a Row. And I need you to get out your notes and your smartphone or your dumb phone, whatever you have, because we're going to walk progressively through really probably one of the most life-changing subjects that have changed the trajectory of this church, changed the trajectory of me and my family's life, and changed the trajectory of so many families. We're going to talk about stewardship and generosity. now I know in 2019 these are not sexy words stewardship it don't even sound sexy stewardship and generosity but I found all through God's word these are two cornerstone for God to do everything that he wants to do in a believer's life it's gonna take stewardship and generosity Just say the word with me. Say stewardship. You don't even say it right. Say stewardship and generosity.

2:13 So we're going to talk about these things. And what I'm asking you to do is to lock in with me for the next five weeks. Like like because this is the series that if any series you could be taken out of, this would be the one. because the truths that are going to be expounded upon through God's word in this series are the ones that break generational cycles of poverty as well as the truths break generational cycles of selfishness. Oh yeah, because you thought it was just about getting more and God says, why would I give you more? Because you're not a river, you're a reservoir. When I give you something, it stops with you. But God says, I want you to be a river. I want to be able to give you so much that it flows through you, that you're blessed to be a blessing. And that's what we desire for our church is that we would give just to give and not to get. And let me go ahead and give you the disclaimer for all the people like, I knew I shouldn't have came today because I'm going to be talking about money. Yes, we're going to be talking about money, but I'm going to do it from a very delicate standpoint because I know the stigma. The church just wants me for my money.

3:17 We don't want you for your money. What we're telling you in this series is to relax. everybody say relax we're not taking any second offerings okay there's no campaign that we're raising money for right now as a matter of fact because of the generosity of people who've already bought into this blessed life attitude because of that this four weeks coming up we are giving away to organizations and and people who are doing ministries and partnering with all kinds of stuff I cannot wait for you to see every week what we're going to be doing. We're going to give away over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in four weeks. Can we give God? Oh, come on, y'all. Can we give God praise for that? Now, now, now, that's a different bend than a lot of people have in with money and in church. And the reason that this is coming to us and I'm so passionate about it is because when I started pastoring this church about four years ago, My second sermon series ever was called the blessed life And and we did this um based off of robert morris who's down in dallas texas And um, they have a church down there where he has this revelation of of generosity and stewardship and all this other stuff And because i'm a transparent leader, I can never get up here and talk about nothing that I I haven't been through or I don't know and so I stood up It's so crazy when you talk about representing I stood up at our church and I said hey guys God told me we're supposed to do this series on generosity and stewardship and I don't know enough about it yet So instead of me getting up in here and faking for four weeks And trying to teach you something that I don't know We're gonna play these videos from pastor robert morris and he's white and dry And has the juice you hear what i'm saying?

5:08 And and and this is when our church was predominantly african-american and more expressive and all this other stuff I said, but I don't want to get up here and tap dance for you for four weeks and you don't get transformed. And I'm telling you, I said, instead of me trying to do that, I'm going to sit right here on the front row. And I said in that seat with my wife and for four and a half or five weeks, we sat and learned the principles of the blessed life together. I want to just teach you. I will never be a leader that gets up here and tries to fake the funk. I'll bring in the people who actually got the funk. Do you hear what I'm saying? because we don't have time to waste and people are really struggling with situations and so when we learned about this blessed life it changed everything y'all it changed this church and it changed my life and today i'm telling you we're not doing this series because the church needs more money we're doing this series because god wants you to live a blessed life everybody say blessed life. Say it like you mean it. Say blessed life. That's what he wants for every person. And so we're going to have to walk through some principles. So today is going to be very introductory, very basic so we can get your heart open so that we can be able to do surgery in this series. So what I need everybody to understand is, is two words that we're going to look at because Proverbs, um, chapter 11 verse 24 is going to give us some groundwork. I want everybody to write down the scripture because it wrecks me every time I read it. It says the world of the generous gets larger and larger and the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. That's some good Bible right there because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much you have.

6:53 It's about your heart posture. He says people who have a heart to be generous. He said, I can give them more and more and more and more. He said, but people who hold back, even what I give them, he says, it keeps taking away from them. And this is what I believe at transformation church. This is the year of what release. And, and, and we believe that because we are walking in this, God doesn't just want us to be healed in our emotions and healed in our bodies. He wants us to be healed in our finances. And there's a lot of people I counsel, so many people. And I know there's some bougie people thinking about Pastor Mike you don't know how much I have in my account but your heart is ugly it doesn't matter about amounts God's going after hearts right now and so as the lead shepherd of this house I have to bring to you the things that are going to help our hearts all I'm saying to you today is that we want God to release everything he has for us the more the expansion. This is not a prosperity gospel. This is a gospel that says God does have more for you, but you have a part to play in this thing. And what God has ordained for all of us, he wants to release it to us. But the prerequisite to get what Jabez prayed for, enlarge my territory. When we pray stuff like that, he says, oh, that can only happen with the motivation of generosity. Let me help you. You have to know that when God blesses you, it's for the first reason to be a blessing to somebody else. And I know, I know, because everything tells you to hoard it, but God says, I want you to be a blessing. Everybody just declared this by faith. Say, I am a blessing. Just say it one more time. Say, I am a blessing.

8:41 What happens when you walk into your job and and you are a blessing when you're not there? Something's missing What happens when you're not at the family dinner? The joy is not the same like I am a blessing Somebody just say it one more time. I am a blessing And until you believe that You walk around beneath what god has called you to be And so through this series i'm going to allow you to recognize and I hope the holy spirit reveals to you See, revelation, all it is is it's revealed truth. Something that's there but you can't see is revealed. And I'm believing that the scales will fall from our eyes and generational things that have been over us as far as finances will be shattered as God gives revelation to us. And so this is where we're going to start today. We titled the series Ducks in a Row because, number one, I like ducks. Number two, number two, it gives us a picture.

9:40 It's a colloquial. How do you say colloquialism? It's a saying that we have like, hey, we need to get our ducks in a row. When I look this up in the Urban Dictionary, I love it. It says to be well prepared or well organized for something that is going to happen. Like I feel like God wants to do something and it's going to happen. My question is, how prepared are you? What have you been doing with what you got? How are you? How are you handling what's in your hands? And that's why I said if we're going to be that type of church that won't just give $250,000 away in one month of generosity. But God could possibly trust us to be a church that gives that type of money away every month. And for that to happen, that means he would have to bless your business and have to bless your life and bless your family. And if he's going to trust us, God said, you ain't even preparing for what I'm about to do.

10:39 You're not even handling what you have been given the way I want you to do. So I need you to write down these two words because they're going to be very pivotal to us understanding this concept of a blessed life. It's preparation and stewardship. Again, I'm saying these words over and over because I want them to drill into your consciousness. They are not sexy, but they are significant. and while you're writing right now um write down the title of today's message are your ducks in a row and i'm not going to answer that question for you you are because i know you know you come into church and people be trying to nudge you like see you shouldn't have done that and see no no no no keep your shoulders to yourself and your elbows to yourself okay but i need you to answer this question today are your ducks in a row are you prepared for what god wants to do in your life Are you prepared for what he wants to do in your finances?

11:33 Are you prepared for what he wants to do so that you can be a blessing? And today, I'm going to allow you to be able to assess that through God's word.

12:12 I want us to go right now to Matthew 25, verse 14. Are your ducks in a row? The truth is, some of our ducks is just floating. Some of our ducks is just floating away. some of our ducks, we only have enough of them. Some of y'all like pastor, I don't have enough ducks to put in a row. You hear what I'm saying? I ain't got no money. I don't have any resource. And I'm not just talking about money. I'm talking about time. How are you prioritizing what God has placed in your hand? I'm talking about your giftings. Cause some of us have giftings that we have not done anything with. And God says, are your ducks in a row? Some of y'all trying to figure out what the duck is going on. I had to use it. Anyway, the church people over here, they're like, oh my God. So we're going to see how we can get our ducks in a row through a parable that Jesus is telling. This is Jesus telling. And you may have heard this before, but we're going to take it from a whole different, we're going to represent this scripture. It's the story of the men with the talons. Let's look at it in verse 14 of Matthew 25. It says, and again, the kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. The man right here represents God. He said he called together his servants and entrusted his money to them. What did he entrust to them? What did he entrust to them? Say it in every service. Oh, everybody that's watching, what did he entrust to them? He could have used any example, but he decided to use money. Do you know that money and possessions is talked about in the Bible over 800 times, the second most talked about topic in the word of God. Now, it's so funny when I say that is so many people want to look to the economic system and government for financial practices, but they are trillions of dollars in debt. The problem is maybe the system was created by someone more intelligent than anybody that's here. And maybe just for these five weeks, could we allow the word of God to be the standard

14:22 of how we look at finances? Can I get one big yes? Okay, let's go. So he said, it was like a man that went on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last, dividing it in proportion to their abilities. Oh, I love the word of God. God's not dumb. See, so many people, no, he's not dumb at all. So many people are frustrated right here off the gate because it's like, God's so unfair. Why would he give one five, one two, and one one. Like, like matter of fact, I'm the one with one. You don't even believe that. But, but, but we always look at what God gives us compared to somebody else. Uh-oh. We're always looking at how they started and what school they got to go to and, and how their parents were set up and, and how this was, and, and, and we're all doing that. But I want you to notice the last sentence, that last part of that sentence, it said that God divided it in proportion to their ability you have what you have because that's what you can handle uh-oh uh-oh you have what you have because that's what you can handle let me put it like this the next season of ability is dependent on the last season of responsibility oh that's good teaching right there see you so mad because god gave you this and he said just work what i gave you he said but you're so mad about how little or how insignificant or it's not like theirs that I'm not going to do nothing with this.

16:03 And God said, that's why you're still at the same level of influence. That's why you're still at the same level. You're at a different job, but the same level of influence. You're in a different sphere. You're older now, but it's the same level. He said, because you were not responsible with what I gave you. And today I need you to see in this text that stewardship says today matters. Everybody say today matters See stewardship says what I do today matters How I use my money today matters How I prioritize my time today matters What I say to people today matters How I love today matters Because when you deal with today This is the thing you have to understand about today Today will always show up tomorrow Uh-huh Like like like what you do today Is gonna show up tomorrow How many of us and i'll say us Know that you need to work out Come on hands lifted all over the place Okay Now now let's be honest When it comes to this whole thing about working out for your boys some of y'all are experts at it, okay But as you can see There's some areas that i'm believing god for a miracle you hear no But the miracle's never coming.

17:26 Come on. The miracle's never coming because it's going to require stewardship. So could it be what you're praying for is not on the way. because you're praying for the outcome of something you actually have to do oh yeah i know i amen myself before i got here today because i knew y'all was gonna be acting funny but this is what i'm saying to you like stewardship is what i do today matters so some days i'll be like man i need to go to the gym today i need to go to the gym today like i got to and then it'll be tomorrow.

18:12 And I'll be like, you know what? I'm going today. Today is gym day. But not just did I not go to the gym that day. I ate McDonald's that day. I ate Chinese food that day. They had dessert out of the blue at my job. And what I did today showed up tomorrow. It showed up tomorrow. I'm using a practical example for me because this applies to every area of your life. God's calling us to another level of stewardship. What is stewardship? Taking care of something that's not yours.

19:23 See, some of you don't understand stewardship because you think you own your life. You think you earned that job. You think you were given those gifts and talents so that you could own them? Where did they come from? Yeah, I know you went to school and I know you prospered some with what was given, but who gave you the natural ability? Only God. And the reason that many of us don't know how to steward is because we think we're owners instead of managers.

19:52 And God called us. The reason we got to get our ducks in a row because the master has given us everything and we're supposed to manage over and he's going to ask us, hey, what'd y'all do with what I gave you? And so that's where we pick back up in this story in verse 16. The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earn five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work. I just need to stop. What did he do? He went to work.

20:21 Let me just stop right here. If you don't have enough grind in you to take care of your responsibilities and work on your passion, You're out of line of the will of god for your life. I'm just over here. I'm a creative bro I'm, just trying to make this thing happen. You're gonna be broke And and what you got to do is you got to be responsible in a season So that you can be able to do what you love to do in another season and this man went to work And I know this is something that people don't like to hear about today But in this environment of everybody doing what they feel god's very clear about us using what we have in this season stewardship to create a better season for us so i just have to do this because i got a lot of millennials that are watching right now and that are a part of my church you got to work because it's developing something in you that will prepare you for what you're supposed to do and this is the thing that i got to get you to understand if you see somebody that's lived over half of their life and they're still not working in their passion it's because in the time that they were supposed to steward over their gift they did not and now they are forced to work in a different season of their life I'm coming to encourage you everybody who's not married and don't have kids you have more time today than you will ever have and can I get some amens for married people and people with kids amen and you I got so much to do no you don't no I'm I'm trying to tell you because I was blind to it like I didn't even understand it this is the time where you get on your grind this is the time where you do the things that don't impact a child and a wife or a husband this is the time where you fully sell out to what God has called you to do some of y'all praying so hard to be married but you need to sit in your singleness for a second and get your stuff together again excuse me get your ducks in a row so you can be and do everything God has called you to do.

22:16 My rant is over. Amen. And so it said the servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole. Isn't it crazy that all the way back here, they use the language that we use today to talk about how people get into debt. I dug a hole and i'm trying to get out of this hole trying to pay back these student loans trying to trying to pay back this macy's card trying to trying to pay back like they done and it literally parallels this man's situation he said he had a little and so instead of using what he had to multiply it and and to do what's right with it he dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money. After a long time, their master returned from his trip and called them. Hey, y'all, I need y'all to tell me what y'all did with my money. He said the servant to whom he had entrusted five bags of silver stepped up real proud. He said, master, hey, you gave me five bags of silver to invest in, bruh. Here's five more. And then the master was full of praise. He said, well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling the small amount. Now, this tripping me out this time that I read it because this is the guy that got the most.

23:39 But in God's eyes, it was a small amount. Like, like, like, like what you got to understand is God is not caring about amount. He said, this was just a test. The job you have right now is just a test. No matter how much you think, oh, I'm living the greatest life. We're blessed. I have no worries God said that small amount that few hundred thousand that few million that this is the idea you have to get that God is not bound by our small thinking he's limited by our small obedience he he's not limited by by by our small thinking he's limited by our small obedience and that's why he's saying, man, if y'all could just get your ducks in a row and do it my way, because if you take what you have and work what you have and give to me and honor me and bless other people, he said this small amount, the best job you ever had, that small amount, your 401k booming, that small amount. And this is the thing that you have to realize because the person with one thought he had so much.

24:53 And everybody, the five, the two, and the one, God said, this was all the pre-show for what I really want to do in your life. So that's why we got to get our ducks in a row. And he said to the servant with five bags, he said, you gave me five bags, the master was full of praise, well done. It said the servant who had received the two bags, verse 22, a silver came forward and said, master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest and I've earned two more. Well done boy. That's what i'm talking about. You've been faithful and handling a small amount. So now i'm gonna give you more Not money Look what it says i'm going to give you more responsibility Oh Like hold on No, no, no, hold on. I thought if idea was right with the finances you're just gonna give us this magic trick more money He said no, no, no, no. He said the reward of being a good steward is more responsibility and this is where people get tricked and that's why they think it's a prosperity gospel and if I give three hundred and thirty three dollars God's gonna be give me three thousand three hundred no none of that he said when when you honor me I give you more responsibility which gives you the ability to do more with what I've already given you it takes the same amount of work to invest and dig a hole both people gotta work but but one's gonna get an outcome where they get more responsibility and the other is going to get nothing and so I want you to see that the reward of our stewardship and our preparation is more responsibility that God can use in our lives it says so the servant with two bags said master I knew look at verse 24 the servant that had one bag of silver came and said master I knew you were a harsh man harvesting crops you didn't plant and gathering crops you didn't cultivate so I was afraid I would lose your money man so I hid it in the earth. So look here, baby, here's your money back. But the master replied, look, you wicked and lazy servant. If you knew I harvested crops, I didn't plant and gather crops.

26:59 I didn't cultivate. Why didn't you at least deposit it in the bank? The least you could have done is, is, is manage my money. How the world tells you to, I got to leave it right there. At least I could have gotten a little interest on what i've given you Then he ordered take the money from him And give it to the one With the 10 bags of silver To those who use well what they are given even more will be given and they will have an abundance or they will live a blessed life And this is what my desire and my faith is for everybody a part of transformation church that we would live a blessed life Everybody shout at me blessed life That's what we want. But for those who do nothing Even this is so sad. Even what little they have Will be taken away Now throw this useless servant into utter darkness. Dang God Where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth and that's what a lot of our finances look like Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Let me give you a point right here Preparation releases prosperity And procrastination releases poverty When you prepare it sets you up to walk in prosperity when you procrastinate i'll do it tomorrow I know i'm gonna get that budget, right?

28:21 I know i'm gonna start i'm gonna bring somebody into my fan finances that procrastination It releases this is the year of release It depends what you want to have released in your life If you prepare it's gonna release Prosperity if you do not prepare and you procrastinate, it releases poverty. You think I'm making this up. Look at Proverbs 12, verse 24. It says, diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor. Like a lot of people are forced to work right now. I'm not gonna ask you to raise your hand, but how many people hate their jobs? Blink at me right now, just blink. You should see all the blinkers in the room, okay? Like you hate your job. If you hate your job halfway into your life, it's because you procrastinated in a season you were supposed to be preparing.

29:18 No, no, I'm telling you, there's a preparation season. So every 18 year old, don't go quit your prom's job. This is a season of preparation. But if you're 48, 58, 68 years old and you still hate what you do, that means that in a season of preparation, you were procrastinating. And I know nobody like to hear that. And that's why I have security so I can run out of here after service. But if I don't tell you, who's going to tell you? But I came with good news. The God that we serve is a restorer of time. He's the one that has grace that at the moment we were pit and all that word means is to turn at the moment We turn he's standing there saying I will redeem the time The Bible says it like this that the canker worm has stolen everything that you thought you lost He said at the moment you turn back to me. I'll redeem them crazy college years I'll redeem the time that you were keeping up with the Joneses. I'll redeem it Oh, but somebody has to start by getting your ducks In a row.

30:27 That's why for the next four weeks, don't play yourself by not coming. Because this is going to allow you to get blessed. So this is what I'm going to do with my time remaining. I want us to do an assessment. And I thought this would be good and very practical for us to do today. Because a lot of people don't think they need help. That do need help. How many people know somebody that need help, but they don't think they need help? Like, yeah, just focus. because some of y'all sit next to him. And so today is a self-assessment. It's a ducks in a row assessment. This is what I want everybody to write down. D-I-A-R. Okay. And that stands for ducks in a row. Put two columns and I want you to see the two stark contrasts in this story. There's two guys who got their ducks in a row. The one who was given five and the one who had two.

31:54 And there was one other guy, and he was the guy that was digging a hole. And I want you to just write that down because these are the two types of people we're talking to today. People who have their ducks in a row are people who are digging a hole. Let me prove it to you right here, just so everybody knows, that in Matthew chapter 25, verse 18, it said, but the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master's money. My question to you, are you continually being in cycles of debt? Are you digging holes that you can't get out of in the future? I had to be very, very honest with myself and I had to come to grips with my shoe addiction. Oh, okay. You want to judge? Me and my wife are believing God for a new home. And I was about to buy some shoes the other day on the internet.

32:54 And it's just so easy because you don't even see the money exchange. You don't even, it's just like, boo, new shoes on the way. and God convicted me. He said, are you stewarding and preparing for what you want? Are you about to wear your new doorknob? and it hit like it hit me like a ton of bricks because i was gonna stun him one time and then put him put him in the closet with the with the other million shoes that i had he said why would i give you more why would i bless you what you're asking for and you won't steward over what i've already given you and i'm telling you i gotta be honest with where i'm at I ain't judging you, but I'm putting my stuff out on the street because maybe just maybe there's an area of your life that you're wasting resources and things that will burn up when heaven and earth are actually passed away. Like, like, like. And for me, I was digging a hole.

33:57 When God said you ain't got your ducks in a row. And and this is where I want everybody to understand this because you dig a hole when you have a certain mindset And i'm gonna tell you about the mindset that you'll have when you're digging a hole If you're digging a hole, um, or if you have your ducks in a row, you have faith for the future If you're digging a hole You have fear of failure which category are you in? See, look at verse 25. It says this man with one, he said, I was afraid. I was afraid I would lose. So instead of doing something with the little bit you gave me, I played it safe. And I'm here to tell you that you have to have faith for the future because this thing that you've been walking in, in fear, and I just got to make sure I got this much money saved and this, this, and this, this, and this, this, because you're fearful. There's nothing wrong with saving and planning and all that other stuff, but it's done based in fear.

34:56 You have the wrong motivation. And I'm trying to tell you right now, the difference is the guy who was given five, he was had faith for the future. Hold on. This master just gave me five men. He said he's coming back. What would happen if I took what he gave me and multiplied that mug. And when he comes back, I'm going to give him five more. He might let me keep the five that I had. He had faith for the future. But so many of us are so paralyzed by what happened that we're now moving in fear of failure. So we've dug a hole. We have fear of failure. And we're standing still in the same place. But I came to tell you, according to 2 Timothy 1, verse 7, it says, For God has not given us a spirit of fear. And I love the second part of it. You ain't supposed to be scared or timid. He said, no, no, no, no, no. Walk up in there like God's on my side.

35:52 Somebody asked me, what's one of your greatest qualities in your opinion of your leadership? I said, I divorce the fear of failure. Like, like, I'm just going to do it. If I'm 55 percent sure it's happening. When are you ever 100 percent sure about something? 95 80 no if i'm 55 we gonna do it because i've realized who's on my side and if god before me who we serve the greatest redeemer in history he's the only one that can take a situation that's broken and repair it and bring it back together again but the problem with the church And the problem with people is we're so afraid of losing a little that we won't even step out in faith. I'm challenging every person in this room to divorce fear of failure. Statistics tell us that most millionaires go bankrupt at least three to five times.

36:54 And how they get million, how they been a millionaire five times in your lifespan. and you ain't got one. Let me tell you, they've divorced the fear of failure. It's inevitable. But when I take an L, I turn it into a lesson. I won't do that again. I'm going to do this again. I'm going to do this. And so we have to divorce the fear of failure. And these are the two things that these men walked in. Let me tell you something else that happened. What was a dire assessment for these guys. If you understand this, you either walk in acknowledging God or you assume of God. You either acknowledge God or you assume of God. Let me show you in verse 19. It said, after a long time, their master returned from his trip and called them all together. And the servant to whom he entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with the five more and said, Watch what he said. Master, you gave me. He acknowledged where it came from in the first place.

37:58 He didn't say I made. He said you gave me. He acknowledged God even in his prosperity. This is where most of us make a mistake is somehow we think that we did this and we made this happen. But Bible tells us in Proverbs 3, 6, that in all of your ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct your path. Look at the contrast. One acknowledged God. The other one assumed of God. Let me show it to you. It says in verse 24, the servant who had one bag of silver came and said, Master, I knew you were. Hold on one person acknowledge you gave it all to me and the other one says I know who you are See when you assume you know how god wants to bless you When you assume that this is all god has for you You start walking in a level of pride where you discount god's grace and goodness in your life And this is what the one who was broke-minded did He dug a hole. He had the fear of failure and then he assumed that god was not who he was Can we make a very clear distinction? Who gave you the one talent that you had?

39:15 Like who gave you the one bag of silver and so he he assumes the very opposite of what he's experienced And so many of us do that god has been so good to us He's showed his grace to us over and over We should not be in the place that we're in. And somehow we assume that he's waiting for us to fail and mess up and jack it up. Look what the Bible tells us. That I knew you were. And look what he said. A harsh man. You talking about the same man that gave you a bag for free? You harvest crops that you didn't plant and gather crops you didn't cultivate? I was afraid to lose your money so I hid it in the earth. I just think I hear God saying when he said, I knew you were. And he'd be like, you don't know me, bro. Like you have no idea and that's how god has checked me several times. He said god, I know you wouldn't do it He said you don't know me My ways are higher than your ways according to isaiah chapter 55 verse 8 He says there my thoughts are nothing like your thoughts and my ways are beyond anything you could imagine for just as high as the heavens Are above the earth?

40:17 So my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts All I'm encouraging you to do today is that if you're in a place where you've been digging in a hole and you've been in a fear of failure and you've assumed of God, don't do that. Because when you do that, you're limiting God to what he wants to do in your life and in your family. So let me give you the last one. It's already on the screen because I need you to assess like check the box where you're at. If you're gonna dig a hole have fear of failure assume of god The last thing you're gonna do is you're gonna use excuses for what you have now And if you've got your ducks in a row, you're gonna use what you have now What i'm asking you today Is before we cut into the surgery of the rest of this series What's in your hand?

41:11 What have you discounted that god's counting on? what gift what talent well the tithe of ten dollars is a dollar i i know they don't they don't have no need of my dollar and god said i was i literally factored in everything based on everybody doing what i asked them to do like like i wanted to pour out a blessing that was so huge, but I don't do anything on earth without human participation. So I'm looking for some people who will make a decision that I'm not just going to dig holes, have fear of failure, use the excuse of what I have right now, assume of God. I need some people who are going to trust me and get their ducks in a row. Look at verse 29. It said to those who use well, everybody say use well. For those who use well what they are given, even more will be given and they will have an abundance. That's the blessed life where you have so much more you don't even need it all.

42:18 Like what happens when you look at your accounts every month and you say, who do I get to bless this week? Who around me is in need? No, I want you to really imagine yourself. I know it's hard to do that right now because a lot of us have been in this column for a long time and we just try, Lord, forget trying to be a blessing. Lord, just let me get on a solid ground. Like no more. I just don't want to be in the hall no more. But God said for a second, have faith for the future. See yourself walking up to your family members who get on your nerves right now and being able to ask them genuinely, not expecting anything back in return. How can I help you? What would, what would happen if you went into your stressed out boss and they make more than you on paper, but God has blessed you so much in ways that you couldn't even imagine that you're able to walk into them and say, Hey, I bought you this, this spa treatment on me. And they're like, hold on. I make more money than you, but I serve a guy you don't like, like what, what would happen if we were the biggest blessing around. God would get glory, but it's hard to be a blessing and be generous when your ducks aren't in a row. Something you got to see in this scripture that changed everything for me.

43:44 And why I'm starting off with this before we go into the rest of the series. It's because I saw something in the scripture that I've never seen before. And it changed my entire view of God. Because so many people think God wants your money. No, he doesn't. He just uses that as a tool to get your heart. Let me prove it to you. It tells us in verse 28, it said, after the one with one told him, I ain't do nothing with your money. I hid it. I was scared. I dug a hole. Look what he said. Then he ordered, take the money from this servant. I expected that. Give me this money. and what I expected God to do was put it in his pocket because God needed more money so he wanted them to all prosper so that God prospered look what God did I never saw it till this time he said he take the money from the servant and give it to the one that has 10 bags of silver. Hold on. The whole reason why God wanted us to be a blessing was not to return it back to him so his pockets could just be fat. He wanted them to prosper so that they could prosper more to bless more people.

45:11 Hear me. God didn't take the one and keep it for himself. He took the one and gave it to the people who are faithful. I'm telling you, our God doesn't need what you think he needs. He wants to get to you what you really need. But today, I need you to assess where you really are. Pastor Mike, I do not make enough money to even check into this conversation. I know that's what some people are thinking right now. I'm on government assistance. God said, all I'm asking you to do is be a faithful steward over a little. And that's when I make you a ruler over much. Today, I want to pray for you. Because if there's an area of your life that you've been in this category, today, today, not tomorrow, today, stewardship is about today.

46:11 Today, I want us to commit that over the next four weeks, we're going to allow God to transform our hearts. And I don't care how much money you got in the bank because some of y'all got money, but you're not acknowledging God You're not honoring him with what you have And today I believe God's going to show us supernaturally how to take what we have Can I say it like this? All you have is all you need God will take what you have right now and turn it into the blessing that will be able to bless so many other people Let's pray in this building Father, I thank you For every person under the sound of my voice. As a matter of fact, if you're in this room or you're hearing this right now and you know there's an area of your life that you've been digging a hole. That you've used excuses for what you have. That you've assumed for God. Like there's an area in your life where you know you need to get your ducks in a row. Could you just lift your hands right now?

47:04 And I want to pray for you. Father, I thank you that right now, Father God, we're not here to be condemned. We are here, Father, for conditioning. You're gonna do something in our lives father God as we open ourselves to you Debt is a name and and poor spending is a name But the name of jesus is higher and today I thank you that this is not just information But i'm thanking you for impartation of your spirit Father god you have called us to live a blessed life And today I declare over every person who has had the boldness to lift their hands and say god I need to get my ducks in a row I thank you that the eyes of their understanding would be open and that their heart would be receptive to the truth in this series. Today is the foundation and the start of something that's going to change us for generations to come. So today, Father, we're open to you. We give you glory. We give you honor. And we give you praise in Jesus' name.