Bandwagon Believer · Who's The Minister Here (Part 4)

0:00 Y'all, I am pumped up. Anytime God does this, I get excited because I don't quite know what He's going to do, but I know He's trying to do something. And anytime He interrupts the plan, it's on purpose. That's what we celebrated last week in Easter, God interrupting the enemy's plan. And today, I just thought it was funny that right after I got off platform last week, I told Charles, I was like, yo, bro, we switching it up. I want to move on, but God ain't done yet. He wants us to be the ministers in our house. And I'm excited about what God has shared with me, but I got to tell Transformation Nation how proud I am of you real quick. Do y'all know last week because of your faithfulness, because of you inviting people, because of you being the minister right where you are with your family and your friends and your sphere of influence and on FaceTime and Facebook and all that other stuff, Because of that, last week's viewing live, we saw 122,660 unique devices.

1:08 Y'all, those were different devices. Y'all better put some praise hands in the comments right now. Do y'all understand that this building could not have held the move of God that he wanted to do last week? We would have had to have services every hour for three weeks to fit the people in this room. But God is not confined to a building. He's not confined to our ideas, but he's trying to do something. Everybody say more than what we could imagine. And because of that, all of those hundreds of thousands of people, this is the number that really matters. we saw 1,676 people transformed in Christ. Oh, come on! I dare you to clap your hands! That's our win at Transformation Church. That's why we exist. And I want to say what's up to everybody who gave their life to Christ last week, and you back this week. I love you. You're our family. We're so proud of you. We believe that the best days of your life are right in front of you, And if you walk this journey with us, it won't be a perfect one, but it will be a progressing one.

2:19 And we know God has a huge plan for your life. Y'all, this is the church. And the church is alive. These numbers honestly make me super excited and super scared. because anytime we talked about it, that anytime there's an upgrade, there's an upgrade in responsibility too. Anytime there's a promotion, everything has to change with it. And so the Holy Spirit, he said, Michael, that's why you need one more week of who's the minister here. Because if I'm going to trust you with the influence of hundreds of thousands, and I'm going to entrust you to be the one that leads thousands of people back to me. I need you to not just make this call to be the minister, to be something you do seasonally.

3:17 It can't be around Easter and Christmas and when it's convenient. This has to be a new way of living. I don't invite because last week was Easter. I don't tell people about the gospel. I don't share it when it's convenient. I need you to be the minister everywhere you are, everywhere you go. And it took me to Acts 2.42, and I want you to go there. If anybody want to know, has he started his message yet? Yes, I have right here, Acts 2.42. I want you to see that this parallel of how the church started is kind of where the church is right now. It says, all the believers devoted themselves. Come on, write that down in the comments. They devoted themselves. I like that. I'm about to talk about that. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, what we're doing right now, and to fellowship and to sharing in meals and to prayer. Those four things. They devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship together, sharing in meals, and to prayer. And guess what happened after the church did that? A deep sense of awe came over them all. And the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. I'm telling you, this is the season of miracles. Things that you thought couldn't happen are about to start happening in the middle of a pandemic, in the middle of a dry season. God says, I'm the God that brings water out of rocks. Somebody needs to believe that right now. I'm the God that does things and makes ways when there is no way. They started performing miracles and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared their money with those in need.

4:51 They worshiped together at the temple each day, met in homes, that's where we all are right now, for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity, all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all people. And each day, everybody say each day, each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. I got stuck on the first part of that verse because all of it is amazing. But if we're going to actually see us being the ministers in our area of influence, in government, in education, in the music industry, in Hollywood, in every area that we already are, there's something that he said that all of them did. It said right there in verse 42, it says, all the believers devoted themselves. And that's what I want to talk about today.

5:48 In the last installment of Who's the Minister Here, and I may start this series back up sometime because I love equipping you to not need me. I love equipping you to be the one who has the answer, to go to God in prayer, to be able to touch with somebody else that is sanitized and be able to pray for them and see deliverance come. I want you to be equipped to be everything that God has called you to be. And right there, when I started thinking about that word devoted themselves, devoted themselves, I started thinking about sports. And let's be honest, I miss sports, okay? And I don't know if you miss sports, but I miss sports a whole bunch. No basketball, no football, no college sports, no March Madness. And some of y'all are like, yes, I am so glad that I don't even have to watch no sports right now. But for the rest of us, we're stressed. And the one thing that I thought about with sports is that sports takes another level of devotion, like to actually play the sport. You have to be super devoted to eating right and working out and doing all this other stuff. But then I said, there's another level of devotion that may be on par with what the athletes do and might be even a little more extreme. And that's the devotion of the fans. Like, have you ever seen fans that were devoted to their team? Some of y'all sitting next to them right now. Some of y'all is so quiet in church, but let your team play. Let somebody that wears your college alma mater colors on. You would be going crazy. You're devoted to it. And I started to think about the Cowboys of the 90s. I started to think about the Lakers in the 2000s. I started to think about the Red Sox in 2004, the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, the Bulls in the 90s. Like I started to think about all of that stuff and I started to think about there was something that all of these teams had in common. They had in their winning season an influx of people who became fans and in the moment they were winning

7:58 they had tons of fans that they never knew were fans before they started winning. But when they started losing, they all had the same thing too. They lost all the people who were there for the winning season and they were left with the devoted. They were left with the people who were going to cheer, that were going to buy tickets, that were going to participate, whether we were winning and on top of the world, or we were losing and in a rebuilding season. And I begin to think about how it must feel as a player to come in one year and be cheered on by everybody and then come in the next year and your fans wearing paper bags on their heads. And I begin to think about, is that how God feels? in the midst of a pandemic where Christianity is winning right now? Uh-oh. See, there's a difference between the devoted and the bandwagon. And that's what I want to title. Uh-oh, I'm coming for you today. I want to title my message today, Bandwagon Believers, because I think there is an epidemic that's happening simultaneously to the pandemic that's happening that literally Christianity and God is convenient right now. And so right now, Christianity is winning.

9:23 Christianity is cool. It's socially accepted. All the people that are thinking of other things now, culture is saying, oh yes, we love faith. And don't be too loud about it, but Kanye is a Christian. And we have top clothing brands that literally say fear of God. Christianity is convenient right now. It's winning right now. And there's a lot of bandwagon believers here right now. Now, I'm not talking to anybody that just gave their life to Christ yesterday. Welcome. We're so proud of you. We know that God has a plan for you. But there's some people watching that may be next to you or watching on a different stream in the house next door. And they've been a Christian for five years and they have not stepped out of the convenience of Christianity yet. They like the bandwagon. They love celebrating. They love cheering for it. But when it's not convenient, my question is, will you be anywhere around?

10:24 When they open up the states, when your job calls you back, when you get more money than you've ever had. Will you still be around? And my fear is that because Christianity, I'm passionate about this, because Christianity is convenient at this moment. It helps me be able to go to sleep. I can do my scriptures and it's able, it's a sedative and not a lifestyle. It is something that is something that you drug yourself with. You're talking about people who drink to go to sleep, but you read scriptures to go to sleep. It's just something that helps you at this moment that is convenient in this time but God says will you be around when there is persecution for what you believe will you be around when your baby daddy don't want to have nothing to do with you because you want to pray now will you be around when your family turns their back on you because you stepped out on faith today I need to talk to all the bandwagon believers and the reason I can speak to this is because I used to be one. Oh, I'm not ever coming at nobody for something that God has not already whooped my butt for. Because it is very easy to be around the things of God and not be in the things of God. It is very easy to play in the band, to give your little money, to go to church on Sundays, to do all of those things. That's what all the fans do when they're in a winning season they pay their tithes and offerings too that's ticket prices they wear the jersey oh I'm repping my team they cheer when the people are performing and playing and But when everybody leaves, when it's been 42 years for a championship, Chicago Cubs, when it looks like all the star players are at another team,

12:29 will you be a devoted disciple? And that's my challenge to you today, is I want you, I know it's straight, I know it's right here, I know it's but this last week I got a lot to say in a little bit of time And so I got to go straight forward my thing today is I'm presenting you with a choice I'm presenting you with a choice of convenience or commitment Those are the choices and this is the same choice that God gave Adam and Eve in the garden That's why the whole thing was hey I'm giving you the opportunity to stay in Eden paradise for the rest of your life And I want you to be committed to obeying me to walking with me to living with me everything provided or do you want what's convenient? The one tree that's close to you in the middle of the garden, when you listen to the deception of the enemy, because it looks better for you at the time, you gave up the commitment of God for the convenience of a bite of fruit. And my question is, are we giving up the commitment that we could have to be good husbands and loving fathers and have families and businesses that are integrous and honor God and make a difference in our community for a couple of Instagram followers?

13:43 Are we giving up the commitment of being devoted to the word of God for the convenience of being accepted by men? And today, I want to challenge you. Oh, I'm challenging everybody right now because I have been challenged. And God said to me, Michael, it's not just being a bandwagon in sports. There are people that are bandwagon in music. You know those people who ain't never listened to some type of music and then it becomes popular like yeah I've been listening to this you a liar You ain't been listening to this and some people who who um there's a certain dress or a certain type of clothes or a brand that becomes popular How many times has Tommy Hilfiger become popular and then gone down and become popular and then gone down and become popular? It's because people jump on the bandwagon They see something that used to be cool And then they try to be the first one to do it and then people who wasn't even checking for it in a different season They come back and they're doing it and God's saying that can apply to everything else But there is a problem when you apply being a bandwagon to your faith

14:45 Because the problem with that is if you're a bandwagon believer There's a heart issue. Okay, and I want to talk about it so that we can be very clear Because God doesn't want bandwagon believers. He wants devoted Devoted disciples, and let me help you with the heart issue. The heart of a bandwagon believer is convenience, but the heart of a devoted disciple is commitment. I've said it over and over, but I want you to get it in a point right there. And that's the thing that you need to understand, that when you devote to something, it's just what it says. You devote. You take your vote away. Let me help you. When I told Natalie that I was going to be committed to her, I devoted my life to her. That means that I took away the vote, am I going to love her?

15:40 When she makes me mad and doesn't get me the sauces that I want when we go to Chick-fil-A, because that makes me mad, I just want to be honest with you. When she does not get me enough Chick-fil-A sauces and sriracha sauces when we go to Chick-fil-A, I'd be ready to let her have it. But in that moment of real emotions, I have de-voted. It does not matter what pretty face or pretty waist comes by. When they come by, I'd say, Natalie, isn't that good? That's God's creation. But I have de-voted. They won't get any of my time. They won't get any of my attention. They won't get why? Because when I made a decision, I de-voted myself to her. And somebody needs to see this that you have been so committed to convenience that you have not committed to anything And God's saying to you today your next level your next level up your next re-up is going to take you being D voted somebody needs to take your vote away right now You need to make a decision that for God I live and for God I die and no matter what happens I'm D voted somebody needs to put that in the comments I don't gotta vote no more when I decided for Jesus when I decided to be faithful to this marriage when I decided to have these kids I was D Voting myself to it The problem is everybody wants a vote and our vote is usually informed by our feelings And that's where we get in trouble Because God's saying I need you to make a decision that outlasts how you feel I I need you to make a decision that outlasts the circumstances.

17:18 And I think that in this moment right now, I'm calling for the ministers to be devoted. I hate working out. Let me be very clear with you. I hate it. But I made a decision last year when I saw myself on the crazy faith. The first week of crazy faith, I'm sitting there in a big pink Holy Spirit hoodie. I look like a piece of candy or something just round y'all can go back and watch it 1.5 million of y'all have watched it. I was like Lord and why did they all watch that one? That was the heaviest I ever weighed in my whole life. I was 256 pounds and at that moment I said you will not be shocked like this ever again. Now I'm not saying that to anybody else. This was just my conviction. I felt bad. I was slow in what I was doing. I was not my sharpest and I was delaying my purpose because of my preference at the time. See, because my preference was coming home and eating ice cream every night. My preference was going to the fast food restaurant and getting all the sauces and doing my thing and my preference. And at that moment, I had to make a decision that I was going to become devoted to working out. And what happens is I want to tell you something. Every time, every morning I get up, I do not want to work out. Every single one, I don't want to work out.

18:41 But I made a decision in a different season that my feelings have to submit to every time I come in contact with what I don't want to do. And some of us have not made that decision. I need to package it because when you devote, I need you to write this down. Your present preference Preference submits to your predetermined decision. I'm going to say it one more time. When you devote, when you take your vote away, when you stop consulting your opinion and consult what you've already decided, your present preference submits to your predetermined decision. So why do I get up and read the word every morning? Not because I'm holy and I want to. It's because when I decided that I was gonna follow God the Bible says seek me and I and you will find me And so where I have to seek him at is in his presence And how do I do that? I get in his Bible and I pray and what happens is when I have become devoted every morning I wake up. I'm like, I just want to go to sleep But every time I turn over I said, you know, I cannot let my pre Determined I have to let my predetermined decision outweigh my preference right now.

20:00 And I'm asking, how much in your life is suffering right now is because you're not devoted? No, I'm, like, for real, I'm coming to ask you right now, me and you talking, nobody else, how bad is your marriage right now because you're not devoted to it? How bad is your health right now is because you're not devoted? How much better could your relationships be if you became devoted. And I thought that as we come off of the most impactful Easter we've ever had in church history, that I would be a pastor today. I don't like doing this. Like, I don't wanna do this, but I got to. Because I'm devoted to what God has called me to do. He's called me to equip you, that you don't just come and be a fan, a casual fan of what's happening, and you be a bandwagon.

20:54 And he said, I want you to raise up some people who are devoted disciples. That even if the world shuts down the internet, you would still grow in your faith. Because you don't need Pastor Mike. Y'all didn't hear me. You don't need Pastor Mike. I'm just here to equip you and encourage you. But if worse came to worse and the signal went down and I was shut out from everybody, give me Jesus. Give me my Bible. I am unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I will not be a bandwagon believer, but I'm a devoted disciple. And the reason why this is plaguing me so bad is because I'm fearful that when we come out of this pandemic everything goes back to normal. Like my fear is that people are going to start striving and working so hard to prove that there's something that God's already called them. Like he already has proved your value and you thought your value was in finances and He was like, when you didn't have any money coming in, I called you valuable.

21:54 And people are going to go back to putting their faith in things that are winning at the time. You realize what I'm saying? Bandwagging believers, it doesn't have to be about faith. They just jump to whatever's winning at the time. So if your relationship is winning at the time, you believe in that. If your marriage is winning at the time, you believe in that. If your church is winning at the time, you believe in that. If your stocks are winning at the time, you believe in that. And God's saying, I need you to make a decision that it doesn't matter if it's winning or losing. You will be, everybody shout at me, devoted. Come on, somebody shout at me, I will be devoted. And the problem with convenience is convenience always conforms. So anytime that we always are trying to do what's convenient, it always conforms to how culture is feeling. It conforms to comfort. It conforms to all these things. But the only reason that's wrong is because Romans 12 2 tells us to do the exact opposite and I want you to see this It that's literally the reason why we have the name transformation church is found in this scripture right here It says do not conform to the Pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is his good and pleasing will for your life So we cannot conform to convenience, to jumping on bandwagons of things when it's winning.

23:22 We have to become devoted and be transformed. And that's easier said than done. Because all of us, let's be real, all of us love whatever's convenient. I love being able to order food and not leave the house and it comes to the door. I love that. but the real good meals, the real healthy meals, the meals that you think about and talk about, it takes somebody in the kitchen that's devoted. It takes somebody that's going to go get the real ingredients, that's going to cut everything up, that's going to let it marinate together, that's going to put it in the oven and then bring it out and fan it and taste it and see if it's good and then put it back in the oven. Like real meals have people that are in the kitchen that are devoted and God's saying is I want your life not to be half-baked. I want your purpose not to be half-baked. I don't want you to stay in this place of convenience. Oh, it's mashed potatoes that I put in the microwave for three minutes and 68 seconds and somehow this hard thing became nice hearty meal. No, somebody's going to have to peel some potatoes and it takes more and it does not get the praise that others want it to have but that's the difference that God is calling every minister to right now it says I want you to be devoted and and and I found an example of this that maybe some of you will be able to relate to in the Bible in Matthew chapter 19 verse 16 and it's a story about the rich young ruler it says some one came to Jesus with this question he was a bandwagon fan of Jesus he followed him he knew who he was he was excited he was I'm like, Jesus, teacher, what good deeds must I do to have eternal life?

25:09 He studied. Why ask me about what is good, Jesus replied. He said, there is only one who is good. But to answer your question, if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments. Which ones, he asked. And Jesus replied, you must not murder. Don't kill nobody. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. So you must not testify falsely, honor your father and mother, love your neighbor as yourself. Hey, I got that. I've obeyed all of these commands. Put me in coach, the young man replied. What else must I do? Because I'm ready. I'm ready to be on your team. I'm ready to follow you. I'm ready to wear the jersey. He said, if you want to be perfect, which lets us know that Jesus was testing him because Jesus doesn't even believe in perfection. He is perfection. He only believes in progression. But this young man thought he had to be perfect to walk with Jesus.

26:03 And for everybody that is here and you think you've got to be perfect to walk with Jesus, that is not the truth at all. God, it just requires that you make another step beyond where you are today. And so that's how we know he was testing this young man. He said, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me. But this is where it switched. He's about to go from being a bandwagon fan who thought he was devoted. He thought he was devoted, but he's about to prove he was a bandwagon fan. He said, I ask of something from you. I ask you for a sacrifice. When the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. I can just picture it right here. Jesus is like, yo, bet. I want you to be a part of this because you devoted, you down. Go sell everything you got and follow me. And he was like, no, no, everything?

26:56 Like you want me to say, all right, I'll be back. And in my mind, that man ran away and he ran further and we never hear about that young man coming back. That's funny to me. I just saw him like running and running at speeds that anyway. He ran away and he never comes back and we never hear about this young man again. Why? It's because at the moment that it's not convenient to be devoted, he went back to being a bandwagon fan, a bandwagon believer, and he walked away because, watch this, he thought that being devoted to Jesus somehow took away from his value. He just told him to sell his possessions. And he thought, possessions, Jesus.

27:53 My friends and family who think I'm great, Jesus. That business that's doing really well, but I have to compromise to stay ahead of the game, Jesus. And this is the problem that many of us have is we think somehow being devoted to Jesus will lessen our value.

28:16 But this is why you have to understand this simple truth. Write this point down. being devoted never devalues a disciple when you decide to be devoted I'm telling you from my own life man I thought I was going to be a music producer that was out here producing for everybody and they mama I I had the skills I had the talents I had the favor and I thought I was gonna be on one of the verses right now they're doing these things where producers are having their catalogs against other people's catalogs where everybody just stretch your hands towards Teddy Riley and his production team at this current moment. Anyway, just love having fun in the church. Anyway, somebody's like, Susan, Teddy Riley, what is happening? That went over a lot of people's head. Anyway, look it up. But I thought I was going to be producing music. And when God told me, he said, shut the studio down and get in your Bible.

29:13 This was my rich young ruler moment. And all of y'all are going to have a moment like this where God says you can go with what you think is going to make you successful or you can be devoted. Take your vote away and follow me. And this was my moment. I was about 24 years old and the Holy Spirit said shut the music down. I just built a studio and everything. I had stuff that was about to come out with HBO and Jill Scott and all this other stuff and God said shut it down. And at that moment I battled Because I wanted to be a bandwagon believer who supported the church That gave money to the church that attended church when it was convenient Instead of being a devoted disciple who says God whatever you want from my life You can have it if it's music you can have it if it's my family you can have it if it's money I was going to go this way and I thank God for his Holy Spirit that helped me decide, no, no, no, no, go devoted.

30:19 You don't lose anything this way. Matter of fact, you gain everything. He was trying to give this young, rich ruler the Matthew 6, 33 test. Seek first the kingdom of God. Seek first what God wants from me. Seek first that he wants to heal my marriage and he wants to deliver me from pornography. Seek first that he wants to heal my heart. and then all these things will be added. I would not be sitting here talking to you today with all of that God has done if I would have decided to be a bandwagon believer. Can I say it to you very straight? You are forfeiting your purpose if you don't become devoted to God. You cannot do God's plan without God. And so many of us wanna get up on award shows and thank God for what he didn't have a part in. We wanna get up in front of people and say like, it was God who got me here, knowing it was our plan that got us there.

31:19 And we never consulted with God unless we got in trouble or we were in the middle of a pandemic or that it was popular to be a Christian. But God is saying, who will stand up for me and say, no matter what comes and what goes, I'm going to be devoted. I gotta pray, even if everything's good or if anything's going wrong, I gotta love my neighbors even when they do me right and even when they do me wrong. I am devoted I know ain't nobody preaching like this because they scared if you gonna come back or not But I ain't because I'm not devoted to you

31:55 I'm devoted to God So when he dropped the sermon series that we were about to go into was a lot sexier than this one It was a lot more user friendly. This would have been a lot more, hooray, excited, and we're gonna get there next week. But God said, before we get into the candy and get into the things that people wanna hear, can I just raise up a few more soldiers that will be able to understand that it ain't always gonna be easy and it ain't gonna always be good and ain't always gonna be a mountaintop. And yeah, you might lose your job, but out of that loss of your job, I'm birthing something new. Out of that loss of a loved one, I'm giving you a deeper conviction to love. Out of that loss, God is trying to teach us a lesson, and he's saying that's what happens when you're a devoted disciple. And today, I just think if that scripture says don't conform to the patterns of this world, then there has to be a pattern we have to conform to.

32:53 A pattern that God is setting and I think that I found the pattern of the devoted. And in the last few minutes that I have, I want to give you this. If you're going to be devoted, you've got to have these few ingredients. The first thing that you have to have is a desire. If you're going to be devoted, you have to have, everybody say, a desire. And this is the thing that a lot of people get messed up, especially for everybody who just came to Christ. And this is your first week and you're like, dang, Pastor Mike coming hard. And I just, you know, I'm saying I stopped smoking weed and scorned everybody last week. Like, this is a lot. Listen to me. Listen to me. Okay, I got you. right now you get to go and skip all of the preliminary foolishness that most believers go through you're getting an advanced class right now this is what god is giving he's so good to you i wish i would have got this he's so good to you that the cycle that people usually get in after they give their life to christ and they go in this cycle for the next two to three or four years you get to skip all this and make a decision today that you know what i'm gonna be devoted If you're going to be devoted, I need you to help me in the comments.

33:58 I need to see them in the comments. Somebody say, I'm going to be devoted. I'm devoted. Somebody needs to say it right now. I see you. Travis said, I'm going to be devoted. Come on. Somebody else is saying that. Cheryl said, I'm going to be devoted. Hey, listen, everybody don't got to be on this, but there are some people that are saying, I'm going to be devoted. My family's going to be devoted. Do y'all know that's what the man of God said in the scripture. As for me and my house, he took his vote away. We are going to serve the Lord. and somebody needs to get that type of desire.

34:29 And this is the thing I got to encourage you. Desire doesn't have to be this big overwhelming thing. Because a lot of people are like, I really want to passionately desire to be more. I really want God to do it. You don't even have to do that. All you have to do is turn your heart towards God. God, I want to stop cussing these people out and I want to love them, but I want to slap them. What you just did was take your heart from being turned away from it and you just showed a little bit of desire. Some of you just need to make a decision today that, you know what, I desire to be better to my spouse. I desire to forgive my father. I desire. You don't have to do it to desire it. Somebody needs to hear this. You don't actually have to make action on it yet to desire it. So many people stop desiring because they don't know how to do what they're desiring.

35:24 But you can desire to get in shape even if you're eating some ice cream. I asked you watching this right now. But desire it. And I'm coming in here to help somebody desire again. Like stop believing the lies of the enemy that you can't even desire it. If you're in Christ, he tells you, I want you to get your mind and your perspective fixed on the right thing. Some of you need to change your desires. Some of you your family has gone so far away from God But today in this thing you're desiring my family will eat around the table I'm desiring that my children will be saved. They're so far away right now But you can have a desire even if you don't know how it's gonna happen Get your desire back Some of you have stopped desiring to be in relationship because the last one broke you so bad But God said today I'm giving somebody their desire back I feel that thing somebody's getting their desire back right now some of you stopped desiring to be in ministry because the last ministry didn't recognize your gifting But God said I didn't call you to be affirmed by that ministry. I called you to be the minister And now I need you to get a desire back Some of you have a gifting to sing. I feel this somebody's pulling on me somebody has a gifting to sing But because it didn't work out in another season God's saying desire again Desire again Because if you're going to be devoted You got to get a desire You got to get a desire Let me tell you a couple things you need a desire for You need to have a desire to be used by God And that could be your prayer this week God Give me a desire That pleases you Just give me a desire that pleases you Give me a desire That brings you back to the center of my life And once you get that desire It doesn't have to be big Let me help you Let me help you The Bible says it in Zechariah 4 10 It says do not despise the small beginnings It says for the Lord rejoices to see the work Everybody say begin He just wants to see you begin to desire

37:31 He just wants to see it happen And this is the beautiful thing about desire In Philippians chapter 2 verse 13 Look what it says For God is working in you That's what he's doing right now As you're hearing this message I know somebody's faith is being stirred right now. Somebody, your flesh wants to go away and click away, but your spirit man is like, no, we need this. We got to hear this thing because you're going to be devoted. It's saying God is working in you right now, giving you the desire. And this is so good about our God that he will never give you a desire for something that he won't give you the power to do. It says he is working in you, giving you the desire. this is my favorite scripture and the power to do what pleases him that is my favorite scripture because it has guided me as i've walked into being the ceo of a company leading a multi-ethnic church standing on platforms that i don't have any degrees for and god says because you desired me I gave you my desires for you And when you have my desires for you I'll give you the power to do what I desire The reason some of y'all are so broken and so tired is because you've been using your power for your desires I dare you to jump over into being devoted and you find out his desires and you get his power I just said a mouthful right there his desires his power your desires your power if it's his desire for your marriage to be healed tap into his power to forgive tap into his power to to to be able to love and that's the first thing we have to do is get a desire let me tell you the second thing we got to do if we're going to be devoted we got to eliminate oh yeah we get a desire from god but then we got to eliminate all of the foolishness and some of y'all have been trying to keep what is holding you back and go into the future and And God says those two do not coincide.

39:33 Comfort and growth are arch enemies. They cannot go together. You can't take all of your friends with you and be the leader of what God's called you to be. He said you're going to have to eliminate some things. And I'm coming to step on some toes because some of the things you need to eliminate are sitting next to you. Uh-oh. Some of y'all are in some relationships and some situationships and some things that are not helping you reach purpose right now. And we're gonna talk about that in relationship goals reloaded next week I'm telling y'all we start in a new series relationship goals reloaded and I am reloaded the clip is ready and full and I'm coming for Everybody, okay, but what I'm telling you right now is there are things that you need to eliminate in your life That are keeping you from being devoted There are certain people that when you told them you made a decision to do something different They'll encourage you back to the old you Now let's be honest are they really your friend?

40:31 If you told them I'm gonna stop trying to do this and they'd be like you for real? After everything we've been through? Okay never mind let's just do it one more time. You got some one more time friends? You got some one more time? Some one more time associates? Some one more time business partners? And what they're doing is they're trying to make you a bandwagon believer. I'll do it when it's convenient and some of you need to make a decision. I don't just want the desire that God has for me, but I got to eliminate stuff. And this is the thing, God won't do what he's given you the power to do. And some of you have been praying away your problem and you're going to have to actually invite them out of your life. God's not going to do it. He's not going to do anything he gave you the power to do. Some of you need to turn your phone off after this message and don't turn it back on until it's a new number.

41:29 No, no, no, I need you to see that because there's so many things that you've been devoted to that are going to take you back to where you've been. And God's saying, I have a purpose for you. I have a plan for you. It's bigger than anything that you've ever seen, but you got to eliminate all of them. And guess what I found through elimination? Anything we give up for God comes back in a way that we actually need it. Anything that we think that we're giving up, oh, I'm giving up my community. Then God will surround you with godly community that will actually sharpen you and make you better. Well, I'm giving up my status Oh, think about me being a music producer and he said yeah, give that up and then I'll bring people to you They won't even know you do music and I will raise you up in something completely different for my glory He said anything that you give up for me I bring back in a different way that'll actually be healthy for you and be a part of my plan for your life But you only get that when you're devoted. So it's time for people to start cutting it off There's some things you got to cut off.

42:28 Somebody needs to put in the chat, cut it off. Some of them have names, some of them are habits, some of them are websites, you need to cut it off. You need accountability when you get here because eliminating things is hard to do when you're the only one who knows you're doing it. That's good. It's hard, it's hard to eliminate something because some of y'all, y'all know y'all done eliminated it for three hours and then you was back on the fourth hour because nobody even knew and you feel good about yourself because at least I tried. But God is saying to you, if you're going to be devoted, if you're going to take your vote away, you got to make a stance for some things. And there are certain things that got to get cut off. I can stay there the rest of this message, but I'm going to just leave you with a scriptures. Hebrews 12, one, it says, therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowds of witnesses to the life of faith, to the life of people who've been devoted, for the people who said no matter what happens, I'm taking my vote away and I'm trusting God. He said, let us strip off every weight.

43:24 Let me put it a different way. Let us eliminate every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. The thing I love about this scripture is most people think the scripture reads, let us eliminate every sin. And it does not start with sin. It says, let us eliminate every weight that slows us down. It may not be a sin, but it may slow you down Well, it ain't a sin to spend time with her. I'm just trying to build with her. She's a slowdown It's not a sin to be in this business right now. That's a slowdown It's not a sin to watch this TV show that is a slowdown for you And God says eliminate everything that's slowing you down and the sin that's in your life.

44:27 And I'm just saying that if you're going to be devoted, you're going to take your vote away. You're going to commit to your decision more than your preference at the time. You got to get a desire. You got to eliminate things that are slowing you down. And then you got to get vision. I love the word of God because it tells us without a vision, people run wild. One translation says they cast off restraint. Another translation says they stop caring. See, the problem with most of us is that because we have not had a desire for the things God wants for us, we don't eliminate the wrong situations out of our life and it blurs our vision. And what God is saying to all of us today is that we need to re-vision. The reason I'm saying that is because everything you thought was gonna happen in 2020 has now been changed Everything and and some of y'all are still in denial like no no no all of this is gonna happen Let me tell you what you need to do at this current moment. You need to sit at your house and you need to revision You need to ask God. What is the vision for the rest of the year?

45:34 What is the vision for my life? Because when I get a vision, I don't cast off restraint I get focused where there is vision or prophetic insight. The Bible says there is a flourishing that happens That's why he tells us to write the vision down and make it plain so it can be read on the run and people can get that vision All I'm saying for you if you're gonna be devoted you need a desire You need to eliminate everything that's slowing you down and you need to get fresh. Everybody say vision Father, I pray that you're giving people vision right now I think you've given them not what they see in their circumstance and what's around them, but for every business owner. I'm praying for somebody right now, for every student, for every person that's in this place that is lacking, Father God, what you are saying and what you are seeing. God, I thank you right now that they would close their eyes and you give them a fresh vision. I declare it, I believe it, and I trust you for it in Jesus' name.

46:29 Somebody shout at me, vision. Turn the keys off. I'm not done. I'm not done. Y'all ain't got nowhere to go. I don't know what y'all got to do right now, okay? I got a few more points because somebody needs this right now. You need to be devoted. God is saying take away the vote. I want you to be a devoted disciple. So you need a desire. You need to eliminate all distractions. You need to get fresh vision. And then you're going to have to do what some people call a cuss word. Obey.

46:55 It's one thing to find out what God has for you, to eliminate all distractions, to see what God has for you. But if you don't obey what he tells you to do, it's all void. And I'm asking some of you that have been in a season of slow obedience is what I'm going to call it. Because a lot of people would be like, it ain't that I ain't going to do it. It's just I ain't done it yet. Do you know what slow obedience is? Disobedience. Some of y'all, I just gave you a revelation right there. God told you to start writing that book last month. And we're a month and a half into the quarantine and the page is empty. And you say, well, I mean, they said the quarantine going to last another month. So I got it.

47:48 Slow obedience is disobedient. Come on. Somebody just needs to write that in the comments right now. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But if you're going to be devoted, you have to obey at that moment when God says, go up to that person and pray. You got to go at that moment when God says, I need you to give, even though you lost your job. You got to obey at that. But you don't know what the seeds you're putting in the ground is even for. You don't know where they're about to blossom. You don't know. And God's saying on the other side of your obedience is upgrade. But on the other side of your disobedience is disappointment. And until you start obeying without knowing what it affects. I mean, just think about it. If my child comes to me, and I'm getting a little heated just thinking about it. If my child comes to me and I say, Bella, put that down. Because it may be dangerous for her.

48:41 We had this happen this week. She had some scissors. And Bella, she's getting smart and she know what to do with stuff. But she was running with the scissors. And she doesn't understand the implications of running with scissors. So I looked at her. I said, Bella, put those down. and then turned around because you know sometimes with the parent tone that you know you have you could be like I know they I know they did it I know they did it because that was that was strong right there I did that that was a good one huh that was a good one and that baby still had the scissors and when I turned around and I looked at her with the scissors still running she actually upgraded it Charles she got on the little hoverboard thing and she was riding the hoverboard with sit now I need every parent that understands this is the point that if my wife would have solved this I would have gotten trouble and y'all already know that that's what would have happened but I I was doing it for her safety and what I told her in that moment was because you're not listening and you're not obeying me I have to take away the scissors and I have to take away the hoverboard. I had to take away what was harming you and what you were having fun with until you learned the lesson that when I speak, that when I tell you, that when I say it, and the whole reason I did it was for her good, but her slow obedience was disobedient. And what God is saying is, if you're going to be devoted, you got to get quicker on obeying me. You got to do it when I say it.

50:16 You got to anticipate my instructions so you can be one that is trusted. I got to get a desire from God. I got to eliminate all the distractions. I got to get a vision. I have to obey. That's why the first Samuel tells us that obedience is better than any sacrifice that we would ever make. Everybody's trying to God. I'm giving you my life. I'm sacrificing my time. I'm saying he said, will you just obey? Like a lot of us are sacrificing things we wouldn't have to give up if we would obey You missed it The church just needs me to do this and that and the first and my family needs me to do that No, those are all things you made up God said if you would obey me, you would have to sacrifice less And you will be walking under my divine instructions And that's why we have to everybody shout at me Obey Okay, let me give you these last ones The next thing that you're going to have to do if you're going to be devoted is trust You're going to have to trust that God's got everything under control.

51:15 See, it's very hard. When I go back to the analogy, let's just use the Lakers for an example. Before these last couple of years, before LeBron got to LA, the Lakers had a very tumultuous few seasons. And the one thing that I know about the Lakers is if they don't have any fans, my older brother, Gabriel Zarmesian Todd. Yes, Zarmesian is his middle name and I do not know what my parents were thinking. Zarmesian Todd is a devoted Lakers fan. That's my mama. She can vouch for it. When I tell you that this man has jerseys on jerseys on jerseys, when I tell you that he cries as a grown... He has cried when they have lost championships. He will fight with anybody. No, I like, and when I say this, I'm not even playing. Like I have video recordings of him arguing and about to swing on people over a team that doesn't even know he exists.

52:16 He's D voted. He's unashamed of the gospel of the Lakers. Now you're laughing but at this moment you wouldn't have that much passion for the God who saved you. You wouldn't have that much fight in you for the God who delivered you and brought your family back. And as I was thinking about this I asked Gabe, I was like what's happening? Because he never stopped repping the Lakers even when they were trash. He would literally come out in a Kobe Bryant jersey and Kobe didn't play no more. He would literally come out in a Shaq jersey and Shaq wasn't nowhere to be found. And I said, Gabe, what are you doing? He said, I'm just trusting the management. I said what he said don't worry there's stuff they're not talking to us about the management's working even while we're losing even while we're in a losing season I'm trusting the management and I came to tell somebody today if you're gonna be devoted even when it looks like you're in a losing season you need to trust the management even when I don't see it he's working even when I don't feel it he's working the song says he never stops working and I need somebody to understand That when you're devoted, when it looks like everything's going down, when it looks like everything's burning up, when it looks like we're losing, you still got to trust the manager.

53:39 And our manager has a great reputation. His name is Jehovah Jireh, the God that will provide. He is the one that is at the beginning and the end. They call him Alpha and Omega. He's the one that sees you in the middle. And he's the one that has charted your course. Trust the management. Hey, that's why the Bible tells us in Proverbs. 3 5 trust in the Lord with all your heart don't depend on what ESPN shows you don't depend on what you see the scoreboard being don't depend on what CNN and Fox News and MSNBC has said he said don't depend on your own understanding seek his will and all you do and he will show you which path to take so we gotta get a desire we've got to eliminate all distractions we got to get a new vision revision we got to obey God we got a trust and this is my first one this is my favorite one you got to get an expectation so when you get an expectation after you devote your life to God after you devote your life you should have an expectation God about to do some crazy stuff in my life hold on I gave up that I actually wrote down the vision for that I actually obeyed when he told me to give in that end of the year offering I host now I've been trusting God the whole time got about to do some dumb stuff in my life like I don't know about y'all but in the middle of pandemic I'm looking for the blessing I don't know about y'all but why it's dried up for everybody else I'm looking for the best season of my life and while everybody else is in panic I'm in praise there is a praise on the inside of me that cannot be quieted because I'm expecting.

55:20 Because when you're devoted, you get to last through the losing seasons, but you get to celebrate in the winning seasons. And there are so many people, I think about all of the people who've been faithful for years. Think about all the people who've been looked over, but you kept doing what God told you to do. I'm thinking about all the people who are even on the front lines right now, when you were afraid for your own family, but you kept showing up to work and meeting the needs of other people and police officers making house calls and people delivering groceries. Even in that, I want you to know that God never requires anything from you that he's expecting you to live your life without. He said, I need you to get an expectation that I'm about to do something in your life that doesn't make sense. I think the scripture says it like this in 1 Corinthians 2, 9, that eyes haven't seen, nor ears have heard, nor has it even entered in the mind of your imagination what God has prepared. I love that because it means that it was already prepared before you decided to be devoted. There are things waiting on you right now. God said, if you would jump in the stream of taking your vote away and serve me and give and read your word and love others and be devoted he said I've already got something with your name on it it was already prepared for you look what it says all your qualification is to love me and the reason I put that in there is that he's already got it prepared for those who love him love is a term of devotion you can't love anybody if you read first Corinthians 13 love is patient love is kind love keeps no record of wrong hold up you done messed over me four times you done you done it all this time like think about it you only can love somebody you have devoted to so a lot of people say they love their spouse

57:27 but their opinion is louder in their relationship than their submission so they're not devoted. Like, I have to say it as strong as I feel it right now. God is asking some of you to take your vote away.

57:49 I'm going to serve God. I'm going to love my spouse. I'm going to finish my schoolwork. I'm going to honor my parents. I'm going to do, I'm taking my vote away. and that's going to prove who you really love because anytime you love something you take your vote away there's tons of things that I do for my wife not because I want to it's because I committed my life to her and when I committed my life to her I gave her my vote when I commit my life to Christ and I'm really the minister I give him my vote so if it's not Easter and you tell me to keep inviting people every week and don't just invite 10 people for the intentional challenge you at home all day invite 20 people oh am I committed to it because transformation church told me to do it or am I committed to it am I devoting because I know this is part of God's plan for my life Thank you.

58:57 If we're in this room and we're honest, most of us have gotten off of this continuum at some point. Our desire, we got it for a second, but dang, I didn't eliminate the things I needed to eliminate. And now it's giving me blurry vision, and I don't really want to obey. And I really don't trust God, that's why I'm looking to all these other sources right now. I don't really have an expectation, but if you reverse that, and you get just a little desire, and you eliminate those distractions and those weights, and you get a new vision, and you obey God, and you trust Him, and you expect, do you know what it equals? It equals discipline. And some of y'all wanted to equal something else, but what God is calling for us to be is devoted what?

59:52 Disciples. that word actually means disciplined ones all God is looking for is people he can count on that will do this same thing over and over and over and over I need you to be disciplined discipline is just being the same doing the same thing I'm committed to it I don't have to get off of it if something new comes if something new goes if something old comes if something old go I'm disciplined and this is the beautiful thing I need everybody to understand because people People ask me all the time, does this Christian walk get easier, Pastor Mike? No, you get stronger. It doesn't get easier, you get stronger. And what happens is the desire turns into discipline. I don't ever wake up desiring to go to the gym. But after I get disciplined to do it for a long time, the days that I miss the gym, I start desiring it.

1:00:46 It's like, dang, nah, I got to go work out. I ain't gonna let this thing and what I'm telling you is if God could just get a few devoted people To get in this process the discipline that he's trying to build in your life is gonna produce What he wants to see and what you want to see in your life And that's why this last scripture Hebrews 12 11 it says no discipline none is enjoyable while it's happening Can I give you the truth? It's painful But afterwards everybody say afterwards. I love this There will be peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way So take a new grip with your tired hands And this is the part where I want somebody who's feeling tired God saying this whole message bandwagon believers was for you to make a decision That's not how you're gonna live your life You're gonna take a new grip today with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.

1:01:44 He said, mark out a straight path for your feet so those who are weak and lame will not fall, but become strong. And the word for this year that God gave us in our vision series was stronger. And I just had to obey God. God's desire for us is to get the discipline to the point where we're stronger. And I speak that over your life right now, that this is not the year where you're going backwards, even in the middle of a pandemic, you're going forward. That God is giving you the desire to do what pleases Him. We're eliminating all distraction. Our vision is getting clearer. We will obey what God says to do. We will trust Him. And in our trust, we will expect that good things are on the way and we will have discipline. What does that spell when you put it all together?

1:02:37 Oh We're devoted I'm trying to give you a pattern To live your life by You can do this for your marriage You can do this for your family You can be devoted At your job With your body But it's going to take all of these things And today God said Could you just be my devoted disciple? If I could distill this all the way down, I love my dad. He told me this example and he said, Michael, he said, it's like breakfast at a farm. He said, at breakfast at a farm, he said, there's a cow, a chicken, and a pig. And I was like, dad, where in the world are you going with this story? Is this spiritual?

1:03:30 I have no idea. And my dad, he always got these little deep sayings. He said, Michael, bandwagon believers are like cows and chickens at breakfast. He said, they give a piece of themselves. The cow gives the milk and the chicken gives the egg. But for the pig to be at the breakfast, he has to sacrifice his life. And when he said it, it hit me that the pig was devoted to that meal and the cow and the chicken only had to give a piece of them when it was convenient. And today I'm thinking that God wants all of us not to give a piece of us. wants us to give him our whole life. That's what devotion is. And this is the beautiful thing about our God. He never asked you to give something that he didn't give first.

1:04:31 So that's what we celebrated last weekend is Jesus being the sacrifice and devoting himself to us even before we devoted ourselves to him. And today he's saying, hey, I know it's popular right now to be a Christian, but there may come a different time where it's not. Are you still going to ride for this? Are you still going to pray for people? Are you still going to give? Are you still going to sow? Are you still going to invite? Will you be what Romans 1 16 says? I am unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God that saved me. Or will you jump off the bandwagon when it's not as convenient? Today I want to pray over you, every person that's watching, that something deep on the inside of you would not be just convinced but convicted. That in light of everything that Christ has done for us, there's no way I can walk around and not be devoted to Him.

1:05:36 If you're watching this and you feel something in your heart stirring and you want to be devoted, just lift your hands. I'm going to pray for you. Father, in the name of Jesus, I declare and I believe, Father God, that what you have done in this place today is painted a clear picture of your desire for us. That you want us, Father God, to have your desire. You want us to eliminate those things that are not like you, Father. You want to give us clear vision, Father God. You want us, Father God, to obey you, Father God. God, you want us to trust you. Father God, even in this moment, Father, I just hear, golly, there are people right now that said I was devoted in one season, but it seemed like it didn't work and today God is saying I am coming to restore your trust in me. I thank you that we'll trust again God.

1:06:31 I thank you Father God that people are going to begin to move from the places that have kept them down and low father God and I thank you father God that everybody's gonna get a new expectation that father God we would be disciplined and father we would we would be ones that would stand up no matter what anybody does no matter what culture does and we say father will be not bandwagon believers but we are devoted disciples today I pray that over everybody listening and I thank you again that it's not just something that I have to be convinced It's my new conviction. I obeyed you today in delivering this word God because I'm devoted to you And God I thank you that people would stand no matter if it was in front of two people or two hundred thousand And they would obey you wherever they are God. We trust you. We believe you and we thank you for it in Jesus name Come on if you're a devoted believer right now and you're a devoted disciple Why don't you give God praise right there in your house? I feel the presence of God something is rising up on the inside side of you. If you're in this place and you've never given your life to Christ, 1600 plus gave it to him last week. And God says, today's your day. Make a decision to become devoted. If you give your life to Christ today, I'm going to promise you one thing, that God will never leave you or forsake you. And you're talking to somebody who knows, because I've messed up a ton of times.

1:08:03 I was addicted to pornography, a liar, a manipulator, somebody who had a lot of bad things in my heart. And when I gave my life to Christ and I devoted myself, I said, I'm not going to listen and let money lord over me. I'm not going to let people and fame and all that lord over me. I'm devoting. He took my broken pieces and he gave me a desire. And he put me on this wheel and my desire has turned into discipline. And I am devoted. Today I want to offer you that same gift if you're watching this right now live or on playback God said this today is the day of salvation And I want to pray with you if that's you right now on the count of three Wherever you are at your table at your house in your car running on on the track outside I want you to lift your hand on the count of three one You're making the greatest decision you've ever made two don't care about who's in the room God is in the room with you three come on Just shoot your hand up in the air.

1:08:57 If you're watching on the chat right now, just push the button that says, I'm raising my hand. Or just put, I want to be saved right there. Hey, listen, I'm about to pray with you. And at Transformation Church, we're a family. We don't pray alone. So I want everybody to pray this prayer together for the benefit of those who are coming to Christ. It's happening all over the world right now. I'm so excited. Somebody say, God, thank you for sending Jesus just for me. Thank you for being devoted to me when I wasn't devoted to you. Today, I surrender my life and I give you everything. Change me. Renew me. Transform me. I'm yours from this day forward. In Jesus' name, amen. Can we celebrate? I need y'all to turn up in your house right now. Thank you so much for watching Transformation Church's YouTube.

1:09:53 And I just want you to take another step. If this is feeding you, join Transformation Nation. That's everybody that doesn't live here in Tulsa watching live with us on Sunday mornings. Gather your family. Let's make this thing an every week situation. And please share. Share if it has impacted your life. There is somebody that is waiting for you to share this with them. And transformation is only a click away. And there's one more thing I would ask you to do. Pray about giving. If you want to help us take this message all around the world and represent God to lost and found people for one reason, transformation in Christ, you can do that right now by clicking the give button. I cannot wait to see you the next time we're here. Live a transformed life.