Michael Todd - Are You A Paper Chaser - Part 1
Hey, what's going on, my friends. I am so glad that you tuned in to hear today's message. And I got a good one for you. I got a question for you. Are you a paper chaser or a purpose chaser? See, a lot of people in today's society are chasing paper, chasing money, chasing riches, chasing influence. But all throughout God's word, I find that he wants people to chase purpose, and then the paper chases them. He wants us to live a blessed life. And I want you to live a blessed life. So today through this series, I'm gonna help you. Proverbs tells us that the world of the generous gets larger and larger. But the world of the stingy, it gets smaller and smaller. And I believe God wants you to live in a large world. So I'm going to help you understand that money should never be the focus. It should always be the fruit. We're about to live a blessed life together. I'm so glad you're here, 'cause this is the start of your transformation.
I am excited about what God is going to do today. Hey, listen, wherever you're watching this from no matter what it's happened this week, no matter what is going on, I believe that God is in the business of touching your situation. And, I wanna let you know, we prayed for you this week. And right now I just feel led to pray for people right now. In the comments right now. There's many different ways we start service. But in the comments, I need you to put your prayer requests right now. I, and I just feel that, the Bible says that, "My house should be called a house of prayer". And I just feel at the top of this service I got goosebumps all over me, that somebody was about to give up and somebody is facing something that you don't even have the words to articulate. But right now, there's tens of thousands of people all around the world. And, there's a word called intercession.
So right now, I want you to put in the comments what you need prayer for, but don't pray for it. Somebody else's gon' pick up your prayer request, and we're gonna begin to intercede right now. I want everybody to pick somebody out that needs to be prayed for. Everybody that's here. Team, I need you to begin to pray. We're about to move heaven. The Bible says, "The fervor, effectual prayers of righteous people, not perfect people, but people who are in right standing with God, they work, they avail". And right now, I just feel that prayer needs to go forth. Come on, lift your hands all over the world. Father in the name of Jesus, I need you to pray. I believe that you are the healer and you are the God that answers your children's prayer. And today, before we go into anything, we're asking you and inviting you into every single situation. You are omniscient, that means you're all knowing. You know every detail. You know every fear. You know every pain. You know every doubt. And God I'm asking you, to be a miracle working God. I declare by tomorrow, some of the reports are gonna begin to turn around. By next week, some of the reports are gonna begin. I need y'all to pray.
By this time, Father God, in an hour, pain is leaving people's bodies. Peace is coming up, I feel the presence of God. Father in the name of Jesus, we're asking for every person that is dealing with depression and anxiety. The spirit of suicide we curse you at the root. Father God, I thank you in the name of Jesus that those who got negative doctor reports and doubt is trying to sit on people's chests. We command you to get out in the name of Jesus. I pray over every person whose marriage, Father God, has seemed like a turmoil to be in. I declare the peace of God to come into that marriage. Families that have been at each other's throats, I thank you that the joy of the Lord would come in and be the strength. For all of my people who feel lonely, and single, and isolated, even around people, they feel that. I'm thanking you father, that you will be a comforter. That you stick closer than a brother.
God, I'm just thanking you for your love. Come on, just wrap your arms around yourself right now. This is God hugging you. Father, I thank you for your love. I thank you for your love that's coming to each one of us, to make us whole and to make us new. Father God, even as prayer requests are still coming in right now, father, I thank you that you would have put a burden on us as the church. You said that your house would be called a house of prayer. Even though we're not in one building, father, that makes us more dangerous. That we're all over the world right now. And your house, our house is a house of prayer. God, when the miracles and the testimonies start coming in, we won't take credit like we did something. But father, God, as we pray to you in faith today, we will give you all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise, in Jesus name, everybody say, "We agree"! We expect. Amen.
God, I'm just thanking you for your love. Come on, just wrap your arms around yourself right now. This is God hugging you. Father, I thank you for your love. I thank you for your love that's coming to each one of us, to make us whole and to make us new. Father God, even as prayer requests are still coming in right now, father, I thank you that you would have put a burden on us as the church. You said that your house would be called a house of prayer. Even though we're not in one building, father, that makes us more dangerous. That we're all over the world right now. And your house, our house is a house of prayer. God, when the miracles and the testimonies start coming in, we won't take credit like we did something. But father, God, as we pray to you in faith today, we will give you all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise, in Jesus name, everybody say, "We agree"! We expect. Amen.
Come on, let's give God a shout of praise all over the world. Hallelujah. If you're near somebody, high five 'em give them a hug. If they'd clean their hands and socially distanced and, all of those other things, I just, I just love that there's no distance in prayer. And, I thought that would be the way that we needed to start off today 'cause I don't know if you knew this, but we in a brand new series. Today is week one of a series we're calling, paper chasers. And, I'm super excited about this series because this series changed my life. And, y'all already know your pastor. I can't do nothing halfway and I can't do nothing fake. We have a humble, open, and transparent church. And, one of the crazy things about this series is this series is about a topic that most people don't talk about because they don't really wanna talk about the real things that are happening in their life. But as a church, we decided, that we would be anchored this year. And we were going into the deep.
Somebody say, "We out here". So if you haven't gone back and watched what God said about 2021, that this is the year that we would be, anchored. I need you to go back and get that. But I thought as we launch into the deep, the first thing we need to talk about is stewardship and generosity. Uh oh. Already? That quick? I thought we was gon inch our way. No. If we're gonna be successful in what God has called us to do, we cannot negate how God has set up a way for us to deal with finances. Money. Our increase. And I wanna be very clear about this, that this topic and this subject affects everybody's household and peace. Everybody is affected by finances. Some negatively, some positively. But God speaks about money in his word as the number two topic in the entire Bible. I want you like, you can research it. It is the finances, generosity, money. He speaks about it. Only one other thing he speaks out about more than this. And I believe through the truths in this series.
Oh, I feel the presence of God already. I'm gonna fight through some of the generational cycles that have been in your life of poverty. And in this series, we're gonna fight through some of the generational cycles of, selfishness. I feel an entitled spirit of somebody's about to click off right now. This could change your life. But, I'm telling you right now that the reason I'm so passionate about this in the first three minutes of this message, is because this is the message that changed my life. This message is based off of a teaching from the Word of God that God gave to somebody that I consider a spiritual mentor, pastor Robert Morris. He wrote a book called, "The Blessed Life". And, I am a very expressive, amazing man of God who can make you believe all kinds of stuff. But when I started pastoring, I had no real revelation about generosity and stewardship.
I know nobody will tell you that because they're the pastor. But I was a pastor with a poverty mentality. And some of you are parents with a poverty mentality. And some of you are politicians with a poverty mentality. Ha! I I'm just telling you just because you have a position, doesn't mean you have the right perspective. And some of your positions are outweighing your perspective. And that's God's grace giving you a position to grow into but will you have the humility to learn how to grow into the position God called you to? I don't know who I'm talking to right now, but some of you need to understand that your perspective has to change, to match the position that God gave you. And for me as a pastor, I got the title February 1st, 2015, but there were areas of my life where the perspective did not match the priority that God had given me in people's lives.
And I read this book called, "The Blessed Life". And pastor Robert began to talk to me through this book. I'd never met the man at the time. He began to talk to me and challenge me on how I thought about finances and, and I found out that I was selfish on the inside. And I found out that there was some greed on the inside of me. And I found out that I didn't honor God with my money. And I found out I honestly didn't honor him with anything. I didn't honor him with my time and I didn't honor. It started exposing all of these things in my heart. And then, it's just like God. February 1st I became the pastor. I talked about vision like I did this year, and we do every year. And then God said, "The next series that you're gonna preach at this church is called The Blessed Life". And I was like, "Oh, great. I get to go fake it for the people, Lord, okay". Great, I don't know how to live a blessed life. When we did The Blessed Life the first time, I had negative bank accounts. Can I be humble, open and trans? Okay.
I had negative bank accounts. I had debt, so much debt. I had just two weeks earlier, gotten out of a lien situation on my home. And God says, "Go and do and give the people The Blessed Life". And I thought God wanted me to, in pride, go and be somebody I wasn't yet. But it actually was an opportunity to be humble before the people God asked me to lead. And so I said, "All right, Lord, well, I'ma to get up here and I'ma teacher". He said, "No, you're not". "But God, I thought you said that we supposed to do The Blessed Life"? "You are". "So I gotta get up there and teach. I've only been a pastor for four weeks. I gotta get up there and tell the people and tell them that we got to live a blessed life". He said, "You would be lying, and they would be hurt". So God, how am I supposed to do The Blessed Life, if I'm not supposed to do The Blessed Life? He said, "pastor Robert's gonna teach it by video. And you're gonna sit on the front row and learn it with them". No, they're not gonna believe in me. He said, "It doesn't matter if they believe in you. I'm tryna see if you will obey me".
The first time we did The Blessed Life. And now you gotta understand, pastor Robert Morris is white. He white, white. Dry comedy, very, I mean 28 minutes and he ain't, ain't none of this, with pastor Robert. And I was like, "Well, people may leave and people". He said, "It doesn't matter". He said, "The ones who need to get this revelation are gonna get it. And if nobody gets it, you need it". And I sat on the front row with my church, and I said, "Ladies and gentlemen today, glad you're here. pastor Robert is gonna preach to us". And I went and sat down and that changed everything in our ministry. It unlocked something in my heart. It transformed the level of belief I had in God to trust him with everything that he blessed my hands with. It allowed me to walk into business meetings, not having enough and knowing who my provider was.
It allowed me to look at generational cycles of poverty and debt and say, "That is the last time that that will be associated with the Todd household. That is the last time that we will deal with these types of things". Why? Because God gave me a revelation that was transformation. And that's what I'm believing for you in this series. That somewhere in the next five weeks, God would give you a revelation. I don't know how he's gonna do it. But I believe that God's gonna give you a revelation, that will be for your, everybody say transformation. And ever since that day, that I decided to humble myself and learn from somebody who authentically had it, I can stand here, five years later, and let you know that it was a hard obedient step to every year. Like literally, every year, God will only let me preach one message.
So 2015, I didn't preach none of The Blessed Life. 2016, I was pumped. I was like, "All right, here we go. Blessed life again, blessed life again. Here we go, I got it God". He said, "No, you don't". He said, "You can teach one message. And the rest of them are video". The next year, same thing. We titled it something different. And I was like, wait till I get my money right, and we was gon do it. He said, "You only get to preach two messages in this series". He said, "Because I'm working something in you". Remember what we always say, this journey is about progression, not perfection. And could it be that God's tryna work something so deep in you, so foundational that, you can be anchored on.
So then when he does the blessing, it I can stand here, six years removed from taking that step with my church, and actually tell you with no lie, I am living a blessed life, you missed it. No, you missed it. I can preach every message of this series now. Because God has worked this message into me. And I got proof. You need proof that it works to tithe? You're looking at it. You need proof that it takes to be generous? You're looking at it. You need proof to know that God is a provider and in the middle of the darkness that you're in, he will send anybody to provide your needs? You're looking at him.
So today, and for the next five weeks, I have a burden. This is like a baby on the inside of me. I keep looking at pastor Nash. She pregnant and fine and pregnant and, you look good, girl. I love all your lovely lady lumps. But when I looked at her, and I see how pregnant she is, that's how I feel spiritually for you. I feel like this series is something that's been in me growing, and I gotta get it out to you. And that is why this series, paper chaser, is not an option for anybody that's going to the deep. This is preparation, everybody say preparation. Do you know that God blesses what you prepare for, not what you hope for? He doesn't bless what you, wish for. He blesses what you prepare for.
Preparation is one of the biggest faith steps that you can ever make. Before it happens, I know the knowledge. Before it happens, I opened the bank account. Before it happens, I sat down and asked somebody who knows about that. Everybody shout at me, preparation. This series for many of you is gonna be confirmation, but for others of you, it's going to be preparation. I believe by the Spirit of God, the next 24 months, I feel this. I'ma prophesy this. There is a wealth transfer. Somebody needs to receive this. There is a wealth transfer, that is happening in the universe. And over the next 24 months, I see God looking at who he can trust. With resources, to be able to fund the kingdom work that he is called to get done on the earth. Somebody needs to lift your hands right now. And the sign of your ability and availability will be, everybody say preparation.
I speak over the people that are watching this right now that there would be a divine passing for preparation. That people will begin to make budgets, and see lists, and study new ideas, and be able to understand currencies, and be able to understand tech. I feel this thing so strong. That God is going to be able to look at our preparation, and see how much we can handle. God, I thank you that stewardship will become our new lot in life. That we wouldn't look at a little and say it's a little. But we will look at a little and say it's preparation. That you see what we have, and you see how we steward, and you will be able to trust us with more. Father, I thank you, that transformation nation will be prepared. In Jesus name. Somebody say, "I agree".
I feel this thing so strong in me, y'all. Why is this important? Look at Proverbs 11:24. I'ma read it out the message version. It says, "The world of the generous gets larger and larger. But the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller". I'm thinking about it in every one of our lives. Counter-cultural, culture tells you to keep it so you can have it. The Bible tells you, kingdom culture, says when you give it, you get more. And I just want you to know that the key to doubling it, to taking it to another level, is not becoming a reservoir. It's being a river.
See the problem with many of us when it comes to this thing of money, that many of us are a reservoir. It can come to us, but it stops with us. But God says, could I find a group of people that would be a river? That if it comes to you it passes through you. And it can get to the channel it needs to go to. It is more blessed for you to give, than it is to, what? Receive. And some of y'all, it was hard for you to say that. And it's the trick of the enemy. Why I ain't got enough to do anything right now. So I'm not gonna do it. But the Bible says somebody needs to write this down.
Proverbs 11:24, the world of the generous gets what? Larger and larger. But the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. That's why this year we have to be, everybody's say "Anchored". And we gotta be anchored in the area of our finances and generosity because this is the area, that many people drift. Like this is the area that I have seen people be spiritually on fire. And one financial thing takes them out. Well, one, debt collection comes and throws their whole faith walk off. And in American society, it doesn't help us because there's some very sad statistics that I've seen, that the average American household is $7.000 in credit card debt, $190.000 in mortgage debt, $27.000 in auto loan debt, $56.000 in student loans or higher education debt, don't have more than $1.000 in savings are, and are one paycheck away from being broke.
Now, when I look at those real statistics and then I compare it to Durham, Deuteronomy 28:12, where it says, "You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them". One is culture, and one is kingdom culture. One is, "I'm in debt up to my eyeballs". And one is, "I'm able to lend and not have to borrow". Like the reason this is important is we have to be anchored in our generosity. We have to be anchored in our stewardship. And I know. They make sexy words, but they're significant. And they're gonna be significant to you and the generations to come after you. And every year when I ask God, "How do I represent this? How do I show this in a new, way"? And somebody is saying, "Well, I've already heard this". "No baby, you ain't even heard it with this oil".