Less Is More Stride (Part 4) - Transformation Church

0:00 A real message that has really been changing people's life. Has anybody, has their life been changed by this stride message? Okay. If this is your first time, I encourage you to go back and listen to what God has been saying. But basically, it's the concept that we're going to stop striving, using all of our energy and effort and trying to do something outside of what God has set for us. and we're going to start striding, which means to walk in long, decisive steps in a intentional direction. And many of us have been out here running everywhere, trying to do everything, but we've come to the conclusion and decided that running is overrated. Like running is what leads us to be burning, burnt out, to be frustrated, to have so much loss. And God says, I have a better way for you, a way that you don't get the glory for, but I get the glory for a way that will allow you to not just see a blessing, but be able to enjoy it too.

1:00 And so I want us as a church to go deeper into this revelation because Psalms 37, 23, I want you to remember this. It says the Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of your, of their lives. God wants to direct you in every area of your life if you'll let him. And every area you don't let him direct, you have to sustain. And so why are you stressed, God? I'm just so stressed out. It's just so much happening right now, God. I just feel overwhelmed. If you say stuff like this, you may be outside of the pace of grace. You may be doing something that God did not grace you for in the season. Maybe he's going to grace you for it. Maybe you'll have it in a different season. But God is saying, will you allow me to set the pace? Will you allow me to be the one that gives you the promotion when you need it? Will you allow me to be the one to lead you to the job when you need it? Will you allow me to be the one to lead you to the relationship when you need it? And I'm encouraged that there are so many people that at the top of the year in our vision series, we're saying, God, we're pushing everything to the middle of the table. We want your will for our life. So set the pace. Somebody just say, set the pace, God. And I know that's a fight in many of you because how many of you are planners? Come on, let's be honest. How many of you, you already got your 2019 planned out. Okay. And how many of us, can we be honest? This is a hot church, humble, open and transparent. How many of us are control freaks? Come on, just, you want to be in control.

2:32 You in the passenger seat. No, turn here. You didn't even want to drive. And you're trying to tell me where to go. and many of us would just like God to be in the vehicle and not be in the driver's seat. We would rather him not know the direction and know what's best and take us there. We're just saying, what do you think is the best direction? But I'm gonna make my own decision anyway. Oh, come on. And so we have to stride. Everybody say stride. I want to take you to a scripture that really is going to challenge all of us and challenge our thought process and our American dream and is going to challenge all the things that we've been taught. Because the title of my message today is less is more. Less is more. And many of us don't feel that way. Honestly, you've been taught all your life that more is more. And the more you get, the more you acquire, the more people who know you, the more people who like you, somehow you're significant.

3:42 Somehow that's what God wants for you. Somehow that's the best for you. But as I begin to study around this concept of us striding and taking long, decisive steps in the direction that God has for us, I keep coming to this theme in the Bible that less is more. And honestly, it's the conflict that many of us deal with every day is fighting wanting more when God is setting a pace for less. Oh, come on. Let's be honest. God, I should have a promotion on this job, but we're striding. Okay. Well, I want to be married. Do you see me? God, you know what I bring. I'm at all my friends' weddings and they're getting all married in the summer and I've caught all the bouquets. I just, I don't know. Out here, Randy Mawson on everybody. But why don't I have a husband? Why has it not come my term? And many times it feels like what God's doing is less than what we could be experiencing. We're living in a house that's less than what we could be.

4:57 We're not experiencing everything that God says is the abundant life. This ain't it. And why does it seem so many times that when God starts to do a work in our life, it seems like less. But I came to encourage somebody today. I really did come to allow somebody to realize that less is more. Pastor Mike, how can you say less is more? Because as I studied the scriptures, I keep coming to this thought process that God is close to people with less. that that that he begins to do a work in your seasons of less more than he's able to do in the seasons of us having abundance I don't know about you but some of my greatest revelations came when I didn't have nothing it came at my lowest point it came when I was putting my heart before God and allowing it God I ain't got nothing else I need you to do something with me and he would speak to me and change me and renew me.

6:04 And then when I got paper, I stopped praying. When I got influence, we stopped being intimate. And what God is saying is, if you as my people could allow me to set the pace of grace for your life and realize you don't need everything right now, that I'm enough for you,

6:26 you would begin to embrace the fact that less is more. Somebody say it with me. Less is more. Listen, let me read this scripture to you because it convicted the mess out of me. And he'd been whooping my butt all week with this. So guess what he about to do to you? Go to Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verse 6. This is some good word right here. Better is one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. what god is saying right there is it's better to have one handful of something good than have two handfuls full of something you think is great but it's better to have one marriage that you're actually investing in than to have every girl in the world liking you and trying to keep up to please everybody i got some examples because some of us are like one one hand see when you have one handful, you leave room for God. See, when you have one handful of something, you can give. If he tells you to give, you can pick up, you can be generous, you can do other things. But most of us are carrying everything we can carry. See, I'm good. I'm blessed. Look at me. I'm blessed in the city. I'm blessed in the field. And we're carrying weights and walking around trying to prove to people that we're enough. And God says, could you, could you do less? Could you have less?

8:00 Could you actually be humble and not take the credit for what I'm doing here? It's okay to just have one handful and be peaceful than to have two handfuls with toil and all of these other types of distractions. That's why God is coming to you today to give you this message of less is more because he's telling us to cast aside every weight that wouldn't just stop us, that would slow us down. And as we're walking, many of us have so much stuff, so much approval we're needing, so many things that we're trying to keep and get and status and love and likes and all of these different things. And God says, is it okay if you have less? Could you just have enough to be satisfied and peaceful? Or do you want so much that it causes pain where it was supposed to cause a blessing? And I know, I know this is going against everything you've been taught.

9:05 because for me, I have never, ever said I want less, ever. We go to the buffet y'all know that's what I'm thinking about on this last day of the fast y'all pray for your pastor but you go to the buffet and you're usually full after the first plate but there's just so much that I have not tried yet and what ends up happening is when you're sitting with people you can say out loud man I'm full and they'll say you better get you some more Thank you. why would they say get some more when I already told you I was satisfied because in this American culture and what we do enough is never enough it's never enough and I want to remix this passage for you because some of you are just looking at me I'm going to give you the same passage of Ecclesiastes 4 6 in the MLT version the Michael Living Translation let me help you better is a job that pays less with time for your family than a high profile position with a broken marriage.

10:23 Less is more. Better is being okay with your singleness and being at peace than being thirsty and chasing every counterfeit who will end up damaging you. That girl in the back was like, amen, amen, amen. Okay. Can I help you? Better is accepting your calling and developing it in obscurity than trying to be and do everything that seems profitable and successful at the moment. Oh yeah, I got a few more verses for you. Better is being humble and letting God elevate you than being ambitious and trying to make a name for yourself that you have to sustain. oh come on let's be honest a lot of us are out here striving when god's saying it's already guided for you before you were formed in your mother's womb i had a plan for you but you've been working your plan and not my plan and i'm asking you again today will you allow me to set the pace of grace for your life i know you want to have a doctor next to your name but it's going to come when you're 50 are you okay with that well god all my other friends are graduating with this And he said, they're going to be working out of their purpose for 20 years.

11:40 But will you allow me to set the pace of grace for your life? Well, God, they already have a church and you've called me to be a pastor, but I called you to serve for the next 12. And not even serve on the platform. I want you to serve in the parking lot. Because I want to form your character to begin to love people. You don't even like people right now, but you want to be a pastor? Stop it. come on let's be honest so i need you to i need you to get in the parking lot so you can know some people's names and you can start being out there well it's cold sometimes he said yeah yeah and i walked everywhere and i want you to make a sacrifice and deposit to be able to be what those people need because i'm gonna cut away at your flesh as you serving that part i know you sexy but i want you to be bundled up and say hi to some people because i oh y'all um let me i I know where I'm taking you. But God, that's not the pace I want to go at. He said, okay, so you sustain what you want to.

12:35 And I'll be here when it fails. because God said, let me set the pace of grace. Can I give you one more? It's better to have some nice things that you own than tons of junk that owns you. oh some of us have so much crap and that's the nice word i mean let me give you an example i looked it up the storage business in the last 10 to 15 years has become a 22 billion dollar industry and the average house 50 50 years ago the average house now is 10 to 20 times bigger and we still don't have enough room in our house for our crap. So what do we do? We go buy little storages and pods to keep our crap in so that we can feel good about our stuff. And then we pray things like, Lord, get me out of debt, but I'm paying money every month to keep crap that I don't need. Some of y'all came just for that.

13:39 what I'm saying to you is, is it bad to have things? Pastor Mike? No, but it's bad for things to have you. somebody say less is more. And I know this is going to take a lot to get in our mind, but the rich young ruler, he thought he had it together. Y'all remember that story in Mark where he came and he said, Hey, I've followed you. I want to follow you. I want eternal life. What do I need to do? Look what the word says in Mark chapter 10, verse 21. Jesus looked at him with so much love and wanting the best for him. And he said, there's one thing that you lack. he said go sell everything you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven then come follow me and i love this because a lot of people see that's why i don't like the church see because jesus taught him to sell everything and tell him to come and give it to him no look what the word said he told him to sell everything and give it to the poor god wasn't trying to advance his ministry he was trying to check his heart he wasn't trying to build a trust fund for his ministry. He didn't sell, go sell everything and bring it to me so that we can do this. Just sell it and give it to the poor. Cause I don't care. I have resource. I need your heart.

14:53 And look what he said. Verse 22. This will be many of us. At this, the man's face fell. he went away sad because he had great wealth. I began to ask God, I said, what was the one thing that this young rich ruler was missing? What, when Jesus said the one thing you lack, he said, Michael, he could not live with less. My question to you today is, can you live with less? I know you didn't come to church for that. And I know God, I'm doing enough to just stride Lord. I'm just, I'm doing enough to just, you know, just take this pace of grace. He said, you have to be willing to sacrifice whatever I've given you so that I can get from you what I intend for you. And most people, when God blesses them, their blessing becomes their God instead of the God who blessed them. Oh, come on. Let's be honest. You got that house that you prayed for and everything else like that. And now you're moving into it. And God now asks you, Hey, I'm trying to get you out of debt, or I'm trying to prepare you for something up the road, or I want you to save more because there's something coming that I want you to do.

16:10 Can you live with less? Can you live without shopping for the rest of this year? Some of y'all just had a conniption. You said, oh my God, what did he just say? Blasphemy. But what I'm saying is you have so many clothes right now. The one talking included, could you live with less? Could you live with less? I know you got the desire for more, but God said that 400 square foot apartment that you can actually keep clean and that you can actually, oh, come on, that you can actually do stuff. And you're not there anyway. I want you to stay there. But all my friends are getting blessed and they're getting houses and they're 30 something and they're dead. And God said, that's not what I called you to do. Stop comparing to the left or the right. Could you live with less? Well, Christmas is coming up. So you're keeping a 5,000 square foot home just for one day a year. And I don't know what your thing is, but God has been challenging you mean, Michael, could you live with less? Could you go without the cable so that you could actually start giving the way I want you to? Well, God, when you bless me, I'll give it. He said, I already did, but you've spent it.

17:24 see the bible tells us that a good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children are you wearing your children's inheritance are you eating your children oh y'all i'm coming for you today some of y'all it's like did you die your inheritance into oh y'all y'all know y'all spend two three hundred dollars at the hairs at the hair are are come on y'all are we are we devouring our children's inheritance because somebody told us that more is more when the word tells us that less is more. And as I look at this, what that young rich ruler really said is Christ is not enough. Like to leave all of this and just follow you.

18:15 Cause we never hear from him again. He went away sad and begin to contemplate everything that he had. And he decided that what he had was bigger and better than Jesus. And I know we don't think about it like that, but that's what we do many times. We decide that what we have and what we're going for and what we're striving for and what we're, is better than this Jesus thing. And I'm encouraging you to allow God to begin to work in your heart that maybe, like he did for me, maybe God's calling you to less no amens why because we weren't raised like that y'all i was raised on mtv cribs like i like i there is mental images in my mind of coming up to a house that's so big and me walking in saying hello and there's cars and lamborghinis and rolls royces and all this stuff i've put that as a mental image in my head is that's what success looks like and I don't know what you've done, but I dare you to bring that image up and then ask, is this godly? Like, is this what God wants for me? Or was that something birthed out of an insecurity that wanted people to know that I was enough and I was significant?

19:38 So maybe if you see the things that I have, you'll think I'm enough. What was having the baddest chick or the finest guy or having all of these portfolios and 401ks and all that is that a ploy to fill an empty void that only God can feel anyway? And God began to tell me, he said, Michael, what you don't realize is what you are trying to strive for. He said, in me, I give to you. My children do not have to beg for what I've already provided for them. Bella does not come in and say, daddy, can I please have juice? Can I please have juice? I said, I already bought the juice, already provided the juice. All you have to do is ask for the juice. And when you get mature enough, you don't even have to ask. You can, you have authority. You can literally go in and get it when you want it. but many of us are out here striving for things that God wants to give to us.

20:39 So he's challenging us. Less is more. Look at the scripture he gave me in first Timothy chapter six, and we're going to start in verse six. It says, but godliness with contentment is great gain. Stop right there. When the last time somebody said, bro, yo, bro, I'm winning. What you mean you winning. Bro, I had an amazing day today. Man, the levels went up today. What happened, bro? Man, I am closer to God. I'm more godly, and I'm content with where I'm at. oh okay bro nobody celebrates godliness and contentment but what god says if you become more like me and you're okay in the season that you're in he said that's a great game because the world is trying to tell you you need more you got to have more you need more followers you need more people you need more uh cosigners and god's saying less is more in the kingdom He said, because when it's less of you, guess who it is more of?

21:43 More of me. He said, when you do less, I do more. He said, when you save more, he's like, I can give more to you and through you to be able to bless other people. Less is more. And then he goes on to explain it in verse 7. He says, for we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we had food and clothing, we will be content with that. When's the last time you praised God for food and clothing?

22:13 Oh, come on. Let's not be bougie in here. Did nobody wake up this morning like, God, I'm going to eat. And thank you for this shirt. That might tell us that we are outside of the flame that God wants us to work in. What are you saying, Pastor Mike? You want us to live broke and ashy around the mouth and messed up? No, no, no, no, no. I'm not saying that. I'm just trying to check our heart motives. because many times there's things in our heart that do not line up with God's word. And so when God asked us for time, when he asked us for a job, when he asked us for our finances, when he asked us to sacrifice something, we act like we got it ourselves. Like somehow we provided for ourselves. And God's saying that that type of attitude is not going to get you anywhere. Verse eight, it says, but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. those who want to get rich, they desire, they fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction for the love of money or the love of status or the love of followers or the love. See, God's not talking about the actual thing. Money's not problem. Followers are not the problem. Influence is not the problem.

23:29 It's the love of it. I've got to have it. No, no, no, no, no. I can't. I can't spend time with y'all, because I got to go over here and I got to strive. I got to work all five jobs, all five of them. God, then, hey, I can do all things through Christ. You are literally sitting here working for this status and losing your family. And literally, God's saying, it literally opens you up to all of these things. It says it's the root for the love of money. The love of striving is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith. This is the scariest part about this scripture is because you can be solid in God. I mean, loving him, standing on platforms like I am today. And you start to love something more than you love God. And it'll make you wonder from your faith. Like, that's why I have people around me that can tell me, hey, bro, that's too much. Less is more. I had one of my friends tell me right before I came out here, bro, less is more. I have to have those guards because God's going to bless me. He's going to our church. He's all this other stuff. But what is all of this? What does it profit a man to gain the entire world, but lose his own soul? Thank God for 10,000 followers. But then I messed up because I love that more than I love my wife and my children.

24:55 and what he's called me to? No. But that means we're going to have to change our mindset from all of these things that we feel like are so grand. And God's telling us maybe, just maybe, less is more. Verse 10, for the love of money is the root of all evil. Some people are eager for money. They've wandered from the faith and look at this and they've pierced themselves. You can't blame the devil for this. The devil didn't do this when you started putting something above God. You put that relationship above God. You put wanting people to like you above God. You put your looks above God. You put your 401k. And he said, and you're piercing yourself with all types of grief. I heard somebody say it like this. A gain in one direction means a loss in another one. So if you're going to be promoted in something, you're losing something. I don't know what it is.

25:49 But if you're going to go to another height in this, you're going to lose something here. And my question to you is, at what cost? At what cost are you going to make what you want to happen in your life? At what cost are you going to to beat a man or be the woman? And I just keep looking at the scripture where it says, Michael, if you're going to stride and find the pace of grace, you're going to have to realize that sometimes what looks like less is more than you could ever imagine. What you feel like is an irrelevant season that I'm just doing the same thing. I'm just serving at this church or I'm just working at this job or I'm just loving on these people or nobody. He said, that's exactly where I want you. He says, because when you embrace less, then I can come in and I can do more. I can work miracles out of nothing. I can take a humble heart and elevate them. I can take people who will obey me when nobody's looking and I can bless them beyond measure because I know they're not in it for it.

26:53 And some of us are in it for the wrong reasons Some of us want money for the wrong reasons Some of us want relationship for the wrong reasons Some of us want to be on the platform for the wrong reasons Some of us want to be the ceo for the wrong reasons You're trying to prove that you are enough to somebody who's not even alive anymore God said you're enough You don't have to have the latest everything you don't got to be a hype beast to be enough You you don't you don't have to have the biggest house on the block and you don't have to To have everybody clapping for you for you to know you're enough And many times if we don't realize this we will start striving for what god is saying if you would just walk with me You'll look up and be in places that you dreamed about being my plan for you is to do exceedingly abundantly above all you could ever you think you got a better plan for you than i have for you but to get there you're gonna have to do it my way and god's way is less is more less things less need for attention less time spent working more time with your family, less time spent with those friends. I don't know. What is it for you?

28:16 What is God saying that you may need to cut back or cut down on? Could you do it with less? I don't know what God's saying for you, but he's been speaking to me very clearly. And this is one of the things that he keeps telling me. He said, Michael, I'm attracted to people with less. I literally, I get close to those who are humble and of very little. And I'm not just talking about just being broke or anything like that. What I'm talking about is you don't need it. You don't have to have it. And many of us, if we went into your life and said, God wants this back, you would cry, you would scream, you'd throw a fit, you'd do all this. And why? Because for some of us, what God wrecked me on in August as I sat in a room next to Charles in Dallas, Texas, is what he's about to share with you right now. This changed my life. And I want you to write this down and realize this is what God wanted to let you know, that all ambition is evil.

29:21 everything in you that wants to help God do something great in the world, that is from hell. It's evil. It's motivated from a part in you that does not trust God, that you are going to help him finish his plan in your life. And I was like, that is not true. God has given me a godly ambition. You just try to put God in front of it. And that's like saying, I got a godly lust. no such thing and some of you are like pastor mike you're just talking let's look at the word james 3 13 this jacked me up some of y'all need to tattoo this on your head it says if you are wise and understand god's ways so that's a huge prerequisite that you're wise and you understand god god's ways prove it by living an honorable life doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom watch this but if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart. Like, like this is the beautiful thing about it. Cause nobody comes out and it's like, I'm ambitious. Like I'm trying to do it. God says, if there is a drop of ambition in your heart, like there's something in you that's trying to make a way, a name, do more for yourself. If there's a drop, he said, I look at the heart man looks on the outward and look, he even addresses it in the next verse. He says, don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying.

30:51 Y'all know how we do. Somebody says, man, you killed them. Like, oh no, it's all God. It's the Glory to God. I didn't plan that. You know, it was just God using me. No, yes, I did. I was in the, I was like, ooh, that's going to kill him tomorrow. That's going, ah, there's something in me. Come on, let's be honest. I'm being very honest with you up here. There's a lot of things in me. I'm going to be blessed so I can show everybody that I'm blessed. I'm gonna have the most handsome or awesome family so everybody can think more of me we have a part of ambition on the inside of us that makes us feel like if we can get or go or be at a certain place somehow we will be able to be better and feel more secure and understand what God is doing in our life and he said all ambition is evil Thank you. but God, I made a plan and I'm asking you to bless it. He said, you're supposed to come to me, find out what the plan is and then do it. He said, he said, he said, you, you, you done made this five year plan. And then you asking me to bless it. You you've already started dating and set the date for your wedding. And now you're asking me to bless it.

32:03 you moved to a whole different city and said it was me who told you to move. Lying. I mean, think about it. And then we, then we ask God to bless it. And this is the thing. God is so good that in his grace, he factored in your mess ups. That at the moment that you repent and you turn away and you say, God, you know what? I have been ambitious. I have been doing this thing on my own. I've been thriving. And I mean, I've been striving and I've been trying to make things happen. God forgive me. He says that all things he's factored in those mess up and he says, I'll make them work. But from now on, don't make a plan without me. Allow me to direct you. Give up all ambition because my plan for you is better than your plan for you. And that's why we have to find the pace of grace. Look at this. James 3, 14. It says all selfish. Let's go to 15 for jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Look what he calls selfish ambition. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. Like you ain't never heard it like this, but God looks at your ambition, man, I'm about to go take over the world. I'm about to shut this thing down in the name of Jesus, but I'm about to do it. He looks at it and says, that ambition in you is demonic.

33:26 he said because it's not originated from my heart of love it's originated from your brokenness and your ability to want to be somebody and he says i see that and it's nothing like me god didn't create the earth to prove himself to somebody he didn't create you to be able to say look at me now it was out of a heart of love look at it verse 16 for whatever wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. You've been trying to figure out why your life is so chaotic? It's because you've been trying to do things out of your selfish ambition and put in the name of Jesus on it. Well, this is the purpose God gave me. You've never prayed about it. Never. People just saw that you were good at something, so you started doing it, and now you made a plan about it. And God said, I'm nowhere in that. could you please bring that back to the table and let us start to walk out the pace of grace in your life verse 17 says but the wisdom from above is first all pure it's peace it's loving it's gentle at all times and willing to yield to others come on when i'm ambitious i'm saying get out my way i'm gonna do this no matter what the thing that god's saying is i want you to be able to yield your opinion sometime to others. I want you, oh, can I make it real plain? You can't always be right and be in the will of God.

34:54 if you always right, God literally brings people around you to help develop your character. If you're always right, you might not be in the will of God. Look what it said. I know this is tight and right. Everybody's booty cheeks just tight right now. Just ain't nobody even saying nothing. Oh, but that's how you know the word is working. Okay.

35:17 You needed that. You needed to just loose, just loose your booty cheeks. Okay. Just calm down. It says it's full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. See, see, God is saying that I want you to be meek. I want you to have power and be under control. I want you to have the decision. Yeah, I can make this plan, but I'm gonna be under control. God, what do you want me to do? Yeah, I could go and just do this, but I'm not. It's power under control. Yeah, I could marry her. she'd say yes today, but father, when do you want me to do it? See, that's me. That's a fruit of the spirit. Yeah, I could move everything set up, but father release me. Let me be sent. That's me. But the opposite of that is ambition. I'm going to just go. I'm going to just do it. I'm going to make it happen. And what happens, God says, go ahead and make it happen. But what you make happen, you have to sustain. I'll be back here waiting for you to get in my pace. And so can, and I hear some people be like, so we can't want anything more than what we have right now in our life.

36:30 No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying God's trying to check the heart of where that's coming from. Like where, where's the seed of that? And for many of us, it's selfish ambition. I'm going to give you three questions that you can write down and you're going to have to do this on your own time. But I want you to seriously ask yourself, am I selfishly ambitious? Am I trying to help God's plan come to pass? Or am I just wanting the next level of what God has for me? This is the first question you ask yourself. Do you trust God to promote you and supernaturally put you in the right place? See, because many of us are ambitious and we don't trust God to promote us. They don't even see me. I've been over here doing this. Don't nobody even recognize my gift, my talent, all that I am? And God says, I am the one that is over promotion and I am the one that is over your increase. Trust me with it. And ambitious people don't trust God. They don't trust God with the plan. They literally will say, God, if you're in this, show yourself, but I'm going to do this anyway.

37:36 and it's natural, and I love the word of God because Jesus has called all of us to take the seat of the servant. He asked us, will you trust my plan for your life? But if you're ambitious, you won't trust the plan of God in your life, and I'm coming to challenge some of you who already have a plan. God's saying, can I have it back, and can I give you the pace that I want you to go at? Let me give you the second question. Do you trust the authorities in your life to recognize God's gifting and calling on your life? The problem with that is most of us don't even have spiritual authority. See, a lot of y'all come to this church and hear me talk, but if I was ever to correct something that you're doing in your life, you would leave. Y'all see how quiet that God? Because this generation doesn't want spiritual authority, but God always uses a man and a woman as guardrails to help you get to the place that you are supposed to be. And many of us don't have spiritual authority. We won't let anybody tell us anything. If it goes against what we think we're supposed to do, we will deuce out on them and talk about them and be like, they don't hear from God.

38:57 only I hear from God. Only I, shut up. Because that is not the truth. Even Jesus had to submit to spiritual authority and wait for the most opportune time, not when he wanted to be released, but when God told his spiritual authority that he was supposed to be a release. Y'all remember it? Age 12 in the synagogue, his mama lost him. And she said, where's Jesus? Jesus. Jesus. and he said y'all excuse me man my mom was tripping bro i'll be right back for one second yes mary this fool done lost his mind did you call me boy you get back to the house he said woman she said oh my god he said don't you know i'm about my father's business you was there the angel told him who i he told you messiah she said come here and she dragged him away and we don't hear from jesus for 18 years nowhere to be found he wasn't even playing soccer he wasn't doing nothing she get in there you're grounded until you're 30 do you understand what i'm saying like that's what happened but he was ready to be released but god was not going to release him until his spiritual authority confirmed it so what ended up happening was he was 30 and he was at the wedding of Canaan. And he didn't even want to be there. He was like, I'm at these weak people's wedding. My mama made me come. And Mary comes up to him and says, Jesus, do that trick you did last night at ladies night. Turn the water into wine. And read the scripture. He says, my time has not yet come. He told her, I'm not ready. She said, boy, do it. His spiritual authority confirmed

41:12 his time to start his ministry. That was his first miracle, not because he wanted to do it, because he was under submission and they told him to do it. so at the very thought of somebody telling you what to do you get all cringed up you're probably ambitious i'm gonna just leave that when they they about to start throwing stones they about to start security All I'm saying, if Jesus needed spiritual authority, who are you? we all need it third thing how you know if you're ambitious or you just want the next level of what god has for you are you willing to serve in obscurity with a whole heart as you wait for promotion See, this one, this one messes a lot of people up. Because in our social media age, like we want everybody to see what God's doing in our life.

42:12 But what if God wants to build you in the pasture and nobody gets to see until he calls you and he sends for you? See, the disciples were having a discussion one day in the presence of Jesus. They weren't even discreet with it. They was like, yo, who's the greatest? Is it me? Is it you? I know it ain't you. It's me. And Jesus walks in on this discussion and he begins to teach them. He said, what y'all don't realize is the greatest of you is a servant. The one who can serve and nobody's calling their name. The one that can serve and nobody's taking pictures and clapping for them. The one who knows that their reward doesn't come from the person who's over them, but it comes from God. He said, that's the greatest one. And then look what he does. He proceeds to wash all of their feet. Now you're saying, okay, that's not, that's not bad. No, no, no, no, no. Feet back in that time was the dirtiest, most vulnerable part of their body. Cause as we have tennis shoes and boots and all that stuff, they had sandals and sometimes they were walking barefoot. So he put his hands on the most vulnerable, tender part of people's lives and serve them with nobody giving him applause.

43:27 He even served the ones that would deny him. He even served the one who would betray him. What happens when you have to serve your enemy? Oh, y'all ain't ready for this. what happens when God calls you to less? Some of y'all are like, I don't even less. I don't even have the ESS. I'm just taking L's everywhere. Everywhere is the L for me. But God says, that's what I'm attracted to. Because when you do less, I can do more. When you do less, when you stay humble, when you just do what I've called you to do, when you stopped striving and being ambitious. That's how I say, I like that. I can use that because I'm telling you right now that service is your way up. It's your way in and it's your way out. If you would begin to serve where God has placed you and be everything, he says, I can work with that. But in our society, being served is what everybody wants. But God says less is more. I'll prove it to you. C.S. Lewis said, humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. Think about that. Can I help you understand why less is more?

44:47 Less is more when God is in control. Write that down. Less is more when God is in control. If you want an example, a practical example in the word, think about David. when he was being sent to kill Goliath. And he walks up and he's like, yo, why is that dude talking about our God? And they was like, bro, he's huge. Look at him. Ain't nobody about to do nothing about him? And he's like, yeah, today he's going to fall because I was sent here to handle him. He didn't even position himself. Somebody overheard him and went. And there's such practical humility in that, that if you're really in the stride of God, nobody will have to make a place for themselves. They will send for you. See, David, his whole life, if you study him, he wasn't even invited to the party when Samuel was anointing the next king of Israel. But he said, there's got to be another son because none of y'all are it. He stopped the party and said, nobody eats until you go get the one that's supposed to be here. What am I saying? God will stop stuff so that you can be where you need to be so he can get to you what he needs to get to you. When he was playing his guitar in the pasture, they sent from him from Saul's palace. They said, Jesse has a boy who can play. He wasn't up doing concerts like, yeah, I'm the man. I'm the one that's going to torment.

46:16 He wasn't doing that. He was in obscurity and he was spending time with God and doing the last instruction that he was given and they sent for him. It's not a surprise that they sent for him when it was time to kill Goliath. His dad sent him to give the grilled cheese sandwiches. Somebody overheard him saying, I'll take him out. And they went and told Saul and Saul sent for him. But guess what? Less is more. Somebody say less is more. When he decided to take out Goliath, they tried to put more on him. They tried to give him Saul's sword. Saul was like, yeah, you about to get killed anyway. So you might as well look good doing it. Let me bog you down with all of my armor, with everything that works for me. Take the sword, the best armor, and David gets in it. He tries it on and he said, this is not going to work because my God is the God that told me that less is more. So what does he do? David picks up what he's learned when nobody was looking. David picks up his slingshot and five smooth stones. And he said, I'm going to kill him with what seems like less to everybody. Because when we do less, God does more.

47:34 And look, he's so confident of it. Look what he says in first Samuel. I want you to see this. He says it in verse 47. He said, all those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that God saves. It's not by having more for the battle is the Lord's and he will give all of you into our hands. David said, I'm about to clown you with less than you've ever been beaten with. And God is saying to you, you're going to be able to write the book with nobody even promoting you. You're going to be able to walk into the blessing with nobody even advertising what you do. God says, I'm the one in your less, I'm going to be more. He knocks Goliath out with less. Some of us are like, well, Pastor Mike, I just, I don't know about that. I want you to see this. Less is more because God gets the glory. Write that down. See, God wants you to know the reason it's okay to have less is because when he does the big miracle, everybody knows it's not you.

48:38 like god is trying to write a story that gives him glory if you had everything figured out then he wouldn't get glory from it but when you take your little less and you put it in the hands of the master he's able to produce a miracle that you can't even fathom let me prove it to you by the first uber eats employee it was a little boy in matthew and he was delivering two fish and five hush puppies. And he had a long John Silver's meal and he was going, and I want you to see it because some of y'all really think that more is more, but when you put God in the middle of it, less is more. I'm getting excited. John chapter six, verse five, it says, Jesus saw that there was a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. He turned to Philip and he asked, hey, Phil where can we buy bread to feed all of these people he was testing Philip for he already knew what he was gonna do this gets me so excited because many of the things God is asking you to do don't really even got nothing to do with where you accept where your heart is at because when he asked you he already knows what he's gonna do before the fish and the loaves were found he knew he was about to work a miracle he knew that he was gonna take whatever was around whatever was available and he's about to feed all of these people, but he's looking. Can I test you?

49:59 Will you be faithful with what you have? And look what Philip's reply was. God, even if we strived, even if we worked, even if we got out of your pace of grace and did this, we would not have enough money to feed them. Then Andrew Simon Peter brother said, Hey, we saw this boy with these two fish and five hush puppies. Maybe we can do something with that. But honestly, what good is it with this huge crowd? I want you to realize this, that less is more because the miracle is planned way before the moment.

50:33 Like when that boy came and he put his tooth, dang, that looks good on this fast. Thank you, Jesus. that smell is emanating from okay thank you lord hold me um this is but but when he had this dinner what the master did he said can i have to the little boy can i have what you may consider and what others may consider less because in the hands of the one who made it less turns into more and literally if you read the language it said that he blessed it he broke it and he gave it he blessed less he broke less how do you break less how how can how can we give out of our having nothing how how can we serve and we got no more time he said he blessed it he broke it and he gave what he had. And it says that those people, 5,000 men, they believe it was about 15 to 20,000 people there that day. It said they all ate until they were satisfied.

51:47 And there was still 12 baskets left over. It doesn't say it in the word, but I only can imagine that the little boy who made the initial seed got to take home more than he started out with. What God is saying is if you would just give me what you have, less is more. Last example, because some of y'all still don't believe me. Some of y'all got it on the first two tries, but there's a woman, a widow in second Kings chapter four. You can read about it. And she was about to lose everything that she had. Her husband left her with debt. Like many of us are in debt right now, trying to strive to be something that we're, but God said, I can, I can use all of that. He literally asked the woman, what's in your house? She said, man, I don't, I don't have anything except just a little bit of oil. He said, can I have it? Cause that, that, that's enough. Like what looks empty to everybody else, what looks worthless to everybody else, There's enough in there.

52:52 That is just enough for this miracle to work. Well, I don't have the degrees, but the smarts you have is just enough. Well, pastor, I don't have nobody support me, but, but, but me giving you direction because you'll stay in my face every day. That's all you need. Well, God, I need a record company. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm the best A&R you've ever had. All you need is me. And if you will pour what you have, I'll work the miracle. That woman followed and obeyed God's instruction and she poured what little oil she had. And God worked a miracle. And literally she poured and it filled up and it filled up and it filled up and it filled up until she didn't have the faith to put out a vessel. It got her out of debt and she had money to live on for the rest of her life because she did not devalue less. all i'm asking everybody in this place today as we learn how to stride could god be calling you to less because his strength is made perfect in our weakness when we are less he becomes more i want to pray for everybody in this room because i know that this is going to be something that god has to work in your mind, your heart, your soul. But again, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his mind, will, and emotions? Father, I pray that today something that was said would change our lives. God, I know you're working this in me. And God, I don't claim to be perfect in it, Father, but I'm letting you do this work in me. And I thank you would do it in this church that I'm leading. God, I thank you that we would divorce the concepts that we've learned from culture, that more is better. God, and we could really just be able to say, Father, whatever you want us to have, that's enough. We trust you and we believe you that as we spend time in your word, you would set the pace of grace and we would obey you.

55:00 even when it hurts, even when it's hard, even when it's frustrating. And even father God, when we feel like we're taking an L or it's less, God, you have a plan for us. That's bigger than anything we could plan for ourselves. So help us get in stride with your pace of grace. Forgive us father for being ambitious and God do a work on the inside of each of us.