Michael Todd - Where The Money Resides - Part 2
Hey, what's going on, friends? I am so excited that you made it to today's program, and I just want to let you know that we have decided we're not going to be paper chasers. We're not going after the money. We're not going after the influence. We're not going after the fame. We're going after God and we're going after our purpose. We are purpose chasers. Say that with me, "I'm a purpose chaser". No, no, no. Come on. Say it out loud, "I am a purpose chaser". See, when you are a purpose chaser, you don't live by your passions. You live by principles. And the principles that we live by are the principles that are found in God's word. What do we do that? Because principles are more powerful than passions. I'm gonna teach you about it today in the program, so I want you to get ready. I'm Michael, and this is the start of your transformation.
Do you know when people be like, I didn't get nothing out of that message, it wasn't the person who preached. As long as they were preaching the word, as long as they had Jesus in the middle of it, it doesn't matter if it was monotone and dry, it doesn't matter if it was done in comedy, it was sung, as long as there was a good seed there can be fruit. My question to you, is it the seed or is it the soil? I tell people all the time I can get anything from anywhere. As long as it's good seed, I'm good soil. Somebody say, I'm good soil. Some of y'all lied because listen to the rest of this real quick. Some of us have vacant soil. Verse 16. I get it! I'm gonna be a purpose chaser. But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have, watch this, problems or are persecuted by family members, people on Instagram, people that don't think it's real, for believing God's word.
For some of y'all all it takes is one post and you out of here. One person says something, tithing ain't real, and you have lost everything because you are still in the shallow. God said you got the word. You believe it, but there's not enough for it to really get under and have any roots, and so as soon as somebody talks about you, and as soon as somebody comes to say that they don't believe this or you know, Pastor Mike a false prophet, I made a YouTube video about it, as soon as somebody does that, you weren't anchored enough. Oh. You weren't far enough in the deep to be able to handle a conviction that came with criticism. Ooh. You can really be able to understand if you are maturing is when your conviction offends somebody and you can handle the criticism and still love them and still give to them and still pray for them.
I'm trying to mature somebody in transformation nation today. Oh, you thought this was just about money. No, it's about your life because until God can plant seeds on good soil, the enemy keeps coming to rob you. And I got principles to share. I want to share them with you but I just don't want them to get snagged. I don't want this to be your Sunday religious activity and not be transformative to the generations that are coming after you. All I'm asking you to do today is survey your soil.
Somebody say I'm going to survey my soil. So one of them had vacant soil, but this one, watch this, they had vulnerable soil. There's something here. You got a couple scriptures. You know, you gave a couple times, you did it, but when God sows the seed, your seed is vulnerable, and that's why so many of us have to watch the circle we're around because God will speak something to you and because you don't have deep roots, they don't add dirt to it, they, ooh, they pick it up out of you and say there's no way that can happen for you, and there's nobody that's ever done that. Baby, a serve a God, oh, that does the impossible. With man, it might be impossible. With my God, nothing. You better check your circle.
When I'm talking about people who are purpose chasing, don't come to me with that weak, sorry, vulnerable talk. Come to me with that crazy faith talk. Come to me with that I'll go to the bank with you talk. Uh. Come with me, I'll circle the neighborhood and you pray on that block, and I'll pray, when we started believing God for this building, I didn't tell everybody because I knew that everybody didn't have deep enough faith to believe with me. As soon as God would give me the word because of your vulnerable soil, you'd be trying to pick up what God was trying to plant in. So I got with people who were heavy hitters. I got with bishop and pastor Debbie and my mom and Bree and Charles and my wife, and I said y'all, I need y'all to believe with me that we're going to believe able to do it. And do you know what they said? Well, if God was going to do it, it would have to be him. It's gonna have to be him. It will be for his glory.
And when you get people around you who have seen God's faithfulness, the seed can go in and it doesn't even make sense but because you have protected that seed and it's not vulnerable, you can see, everybody shout at me, fruit! Remember what we said last week is that we don't focus on money. Money should be the fruit. And that's why I'm trying to figure out what kind of soil am I planting this seed on? What kind of soil are you today? Let's just survey the soil. Some people have vacant soil. Other people have vulnerable soil. But look at verse 18. It said, the seed that fell on the thorns represented, this one is crazy, others who hear God's word.
So you're on this live stream right now. You're watching on the re-broadcast. All these people heard the message. We're not talking about people who are not listening. We're talking about people who are hearing God's word. Okay. Be clear. But all too quickly, hmm, no, no, no. I want to go down to verse 20. No, no, no. Where am I at? Verse 18, the seed fell among thorns and represented others who heard God's word, verse 19, but all too quickly the message is, watch this, crowded out by the worries of this life. It's not even bad stuff. It's just a lot of stuff. What happens when what you're doing ain't bad, it's just too much? You ever heard of something be like, you're doing too much? What if I came to the body of Christ to say that God has been planting good principles and good word and good seed, and the reason it's not producing fruit is because you're doing too much.
You ever had a friend who just does too much? Like be quiet. Sit down. Don't wear that. You're doing too much. I came to tell you spiritually that some of the seed that God is trying to plant on your life right now is not because you're a bad person and you're doing the wrong things. It's because it's been choked out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth or the spirit of Mammon and the desires for other things. The thing you got is enough but you're desiring something else. So this is the saddest part about it. So no fruit is produced. That's what it says. Because you heard God's word but the worries of life, the lure of wealth, the desires for other things means you don't produce fruit, so the same thing God wants to put...Where in the world can I even get this in? Is it between the new coming to America 2? Or is it after the bachelor? Can I get this word in? Can I get it in between seasons of the masked singer or can I?
I really got a word and if you get close up on this, it says there's thorns. So the seed that God tries to plant in these people's lives who are doing too much, it's not that it's just vacant or vulnerable. These seeds, I love this, these seeds because it hurts right here. It's something that if I tried too much, I'm going to actually not just... can I say it like this? This is what a lot of your leaders feel like. It's dangerous to plant anything in you. You're doing so much that when they try to plant in you principles that will help you be a better man or a better woman, principles that will help you, they end up getting hurt. Because you're doing too much, and then you leave saying, they didn't want to invest in me. We tried and we have scars to prove it. And that's why you go from business to business, church to church.
I'm trying to give you principles right now. I know you're not gonna like me, but a lot of people right now are done with you because you've hurt them because all they were trying to do was give you seed. But your soil, it wasn't the seed, it wasn't the church, it wasn't the business, it was the soil. And what happens is you don't just have vacant soil or vulnerable soil, you have violating soil. When people try to plant in you, you violate them. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not late. We have surveillance. Like, we got, what are you talking about? One of the greatest problems with my generation is we're not self aware. That somebody can tell you somebody, and you will go after them for trying to give you principles that will help you do what God's called you to do. You want to be a purpose chaser? You better make sure your soil is right because God will bring people in your life to help you. But will they leave bleeding? I got to leave that alone.
That it has now taking this seed and buried it. And some people think of planting and burying are devastating, but this is the place where God develops the thing. The reason I had to get this revelation and then wait six years to be able to give it to you like this is because the seed went in 2015, but 2016, 17, 18 and 19 I was growing roots. And what God has done now is allowed me to walk in a place that what is coming out of me, what you see is just the fruit of the seeds that have been planted a long time ago. And what I'm believing for your life is that these principles of God's word on generosity and stewardship would go into good soil.
Somebody say "I'm good soil". Say it like you mean it, "I'm good soil"! Say is it one more time with faith. Say "I'm good soil"! If you're good soil, then it goes in and it produces fruit 30, 60, 100 fold. I'm believing by they've by this time next year as you begin to apply these principles, you will have never seen the hand of God on your life and your hands like you're about to see them right now because you're allowing the principles of God's word. Somebody needs to lift your hands and receive this right now. I'm prophesying over somebody right now. You're like, what is he doing? I'm speaking over your destiny, and I'm believing as you stick in this series and value the principles of God over the principles of man that God is going to allow you to be able to experience a new level of living a blessed life, not just a blessed wallet but a blessed life, a blessed marriage, a blessed business, a blessed family.
Oh, I feel this thing. God is going to allow you to be blessed to be a blessing. When you walk in, blessing just showed up. When you come in the room, blessing follows you everywhere you go. If you believe it, somebody give God a shout of praise. I feel this thing, the blessing of the Lord is going to make us rich and add no sorrow. It's not because of the seed. It's because of the soil. That means good soil is valuable soil. So I don't want vacant soil. I don't want soil that is vulnerable. I don't want soil that violates me and violates others. I want valuable soil. And can I say it like this? The seed is always subject to the soil. So from now on when something doesn't work in your life, don't evaluate the seed. First check the soil.
How are they advancing in the company and you're at the same place? You're in the same meetings, oh. You got the same handbook. You work the same hours. It ain't the seed. What is it? It's the soil. Woo, that's enough. Somebody is about to go home and be like dang, I've been in 17 relationships. It must be me. Yes, baby. It's you. It's the soil. Your insecure. You're jealous. You don't like him. Okay, let me stop. It ain't the seed! See, people call this passage of scripture a lot of times they call the parable of the sower, and then others call it the parable of the seed. But it honestly is the parable of the soil. I just got one question, has your seed been sabotaged by the soil? And can I be very clear because some of y'all like okay, what is the soil? The soil is your heart. It's not, your heart is either vacant, it's vulnerable, it's violated, or it's valuable.
Well, talk about the money, Pastor Mike. I'm talking about it right now. Like that's why the Bible tells us Proverbs 4: 23, guard your heart. It didn't say guard your phone and some of y'all guard that with your life. Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. Anybody try to use your phone, they can't see it because you're acting a fool all day. But guard your heart, not your checkbook. I mean, it could have said guard your riches, guard your wealth. It says guard your heart above everything else. Above everything you do, guard your heart above all else for it, out of it determines the course of your entire life. If there's one thing you want to get right, it's the soil of your heart because out of the soil of your heart everything comes from that.
If you're a mean person, it started in the heart. If you're a selfish person, it started in the heart. If you're a perverted person, it started in the... Whoever you are, you can find it's origination in your heart. And that's why I have to talk about generosity and stewardship because many people are teaching give to get, and that is not the Word of God. And Transformation Church we decided that we will teach give to give. We don't give to get. We give to give. And these truths in this book and in this series, I said this book because I need some of y'all to buy the blessed life. I don't get not a royalty, nothing from this but reading this book by pastor Robert Morris transformed my life. The principles in here is what I'm teaching you with a little sauce on it right now.
You need to read this book because it has the chance to change your marriage, change your health, change your family, change your life, and let you live a blessed life can I take you into God's word? Are y'all ready for the principles yet? Okay. Matthew 7, let's go chapter 7:1. It says, "Judge not that you be not judged for with the judgment you judge you will be judged and with the measure you use it will be measured back to you". Let me ask you one simple question, is the word money mentioned anywhere in that verse? Did y'all see money in there at all? Okay. The context of this is judging, so say this with me. Everybody in here, everybody at home, say judge not and you will not be judged. With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
Now I need you to say it with your chest. Say judge not and you will not be judged. And with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Now, look at Luke 6: 37, first verse, and the ends of verse 38. It says, "Judge not and you will not be judged". Yeah, no. Y'all don't have to say it with me. I know y'all some of you said it. This is me now. "Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you shall not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will it be put into your bosom, for with the same measure that you use it will be measured back to you".
Now, this may shock you but the word money does not appear anywhere in Luke 6: 38, but most of the time when you hear this verse is at offering time. Give. And it will be given back to you. Oh! Good measure, pressed down. Yeah. Shaken together. Harlem shaken together. Running over. Men will put it in your lap. Put it in my lap, yeah. And it's crazy. I've heard that all my life and I've even done it sometimes when I didn't have a revelation. But is not about money at all. And that's the trick of the enemy, that any time you hear the word give, you think negatively because you think people want your money. Right now any time you hear hey, will you give, first thing you think, money. And this is specially in church.
I was one time listening to a pastor and he did a magazine interview, and somebody asked them, he said, how often do you talk about giving? And he said, how often do I talk about giving? I talk about giving every Sunday. And the reporter was like, you talk about giving every Sunday? He said yes. What I think you meant to ask me is how much do I talk about giving money because giving, you can't talk about the Bible without talking about giving. For God so loved the world that he (gave) it's the theme of the Bible. You can't have a successful marriage if you don't have two people that are willing to give. This is the primary theme of the Bible, and you have to understand that it's not just about finances. It's about the principle of giving.