Michael Todd - Satisfaction 2 Subtraction
I think this word has challenged me all week, and I believe it’s going to challenge everybody. In the auditorium, take your seats because we are starting week 8 of a series that we are calling «Help Me: Relationship Goals Reloaded.» Your part—alright! Some of y’all’s enthusiasm in church is getting weak, but I’m telling you my messages are getting stronger. We only have three more weeks left in this series. I’m going to preach today, and then I have two more messages.
I believe that the culture is crying out right now for a godly example, playbook, and instructions on what relationships are supposed to be. This week in culture, there has been a lot of talk about marriage and relationships, and there’s been all kinds of things in culture showing us how when you make up what you think a relationship or a marriage is supposed to be, and you weren’t the creator of it, how it ends up hurting people or changing people or getting people into entanglements. I know that everybody’s trying to figure out how to do what God has asked them to do, as well as get everything they want out of it, but I’m telling you that there is a way that relationships are supposed to be done, and God set it up like that so you can win in relationships.
Somebody type that in the chat; everybody say it out loud: «I will win in relationships.» But you can only win if you go by the playbook. Too many people are making up rules to a game they did not create. It took everything in me, Demario, not to preach a message about entanglements today. It took everything in me! But next week, I can’t make any promises.
Today, I want to finish what we started last week. Now, if you’re just joining us and this is your first time, I need you to honestly get off right now or get off after this and go back and listen to part one, where I talked about our attractions and how attractions make us feel like they lead to satisfactions. But many times, they don’t lead us to being satisfied; they lead us to being distracted. Many of our attractions have taken us from the places God wants us to be to places we never thought we would be. We’ve been looking at this in the life of David.
So, if you have your Bibles right now, I want you to go to Proverbs 14, and I want to show you a scripture real quick in verse 12 because everybody is trying to make their own path in life when it comes to relationships, and I do not think that this was God’s intention. This scripture stuck out to me, and it made me think about my entire life, but it especially made me think about it in the context of relationships. It says in Proverbs 14:12, «There is a path before each person that seems right.» Isn’t it crazy that in our relationships, while we’re in them, they seem right? Has anybody ever been in a bad relationship that seemed right while you were in it? Now, y’all are quiet today, but I’ve seen your Instagram pictures go from being with this person to that person to this person and it’s only been 12 months.
The reason is that when we began our relationships, when we got into them, they seemed right. But it says that the path before every person that seems right ends in death. And I’m not just talking about physical death. I want to know how many things in your life are dying because they seemed right at the time. How many callings, how many moments have you missed? How many things have been happening? And this is what I want to pick up because we talk about David all the time as the one who defeated Goliath and became king, but David had a dark side, and his dark side was fueled by his attractions. I know a lot of us don’t want to admit it, but some of our attractions have been the very thing that has led to our distractions, and it has honestly led to the death of things that God wanted to live.
When I sit here and think about my own life, I think about the relationships that God had me in and wanted me to be in. It was my attraction to things that were not of Him and not like Him—attractions to things that God didn’t put in front of me, but that culture enticed me with. Those things led to the death of some things, and this is where we find David.
Look at 2 Samuel 11:1-2 for a recap: «In the spring, when kings normally go to war, David was supposed to be at war. He stayed in a place. Verse 2: Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the rooftop of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath.» This is his attraction.
The first thing I want to give you as a framework is I want to give you the equation of attraction. Write this down; this is going to help you: Attraction plus attention equals interaction. You can never ever stop your attraction if you don’t—huh. Let me say it like this: you can never ever stop your attraction; attraction is neutral; it happens. But you can stop your attention. And when you stop your attention from going to that sight, to that person, to that thing, that will stop and render powerless the interaction. The problem is, most of us think that we can be attracted to it and just look at it every once in a while and just talk to it every once in a while and just be around it every once in a while.
I’m telling you, one plus one does equal two: if you are attracted to it and you give attention to it, you will have an interaction with it. There are so many people who act like this is not true. Just because we don’t see your interaction with it doesn’t mean you don’t have interactions with it. Just because it’s not public knowledge.
Last week, as I demonstrated how I had an attraction to cake, it was when I gave that cake my attention that eventually I face-planted in it; I had an interaction with the cake. My question to you is: what are you looking at right now that attracted you in one season, but the interaction is very close—the interaction that may interrupt what God wants to do in your life?
The reason I’m talking to you like this is that I don’t want to keep seeing people that God has chosen to be relationship models for what He wants to do in your life being taken out by little stuff that we keep giving our attention to. David, the king of an entire region, gets thrown off because he was doing a little peekaboo over the rooftop. It was the little peekaboo. It’s the little peekaboo. I don’t know what you’ve been peeking at and booing at, but you can forfeit your kingdom because of a peekaboo. And that’s what happened to him because he fell into the trap of attraction.
And the crazy thing about it is your attraction can be to something good. If you put your attraction on «You know what? I’m going to live pure,» if you give your attention to the Word of God, you will have an interaction with your purpose. You can actually use this formula in reverse and get to the places and the interactions that you actually want to have that will help you reach what God has called you to reach.
Let me put it to you in a point: attraction is good when it’s submitted to God. Attraction is good. Everybody say, «Attraction is good when it is submitted to God.» The reason I want to say that is because we know every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord. We understand that God created everything. It goes all the way back to the garden. Remember when Adam was by himself and God was like, «It’s not good for him to be alone»? So, He put him to sleep, took his rib out, and gave him Eve. When he woke up, he was attracted to Eve. How do you know? Because the first thing he said was, «Whoa, man; Jesus, she’s fine! My God! Today, we’re going to call her 'Whoa-man'—okay, 'Whoa-man'—woman.» That was the first thing he said.
So, that was an attraction submitted to the mission. But those same people had an unsubmitted attraction when God told them, «You can eat of every fruit in the garden except this one.» They were attracted to the fruit that was forbidden. And when they ate that fruit, the attraction they thought was going to bring satisfaction actually ended up subtracting them from the place where they were supposed to live forever.
Now, Pastor Mike, why are you taking us systematically through this? Because I’m trying to help you locate why many of you are in the spots you are right now. It’s because we have listened to our attractions, and now it’s leading us to subtraction. Think about this: Jesus would have never had to die if Adam and Eve had control of their appetite.
Listen to what I just said again: Jesus would never had to go to the cross; He would have never had to make a way for God to be back with humanity if Adam and Eve had just controlled their appetites.
Let me show you again with cake. I’m attracted to it, but after last week, I made a deal with myself and with God that I was no longer going to eat the cake. So, I’m attracted to it, but today I’m going to control my appetite. But the cake is still here! Now, where did these honey buns come from? I’m not going to eat the cake but there’s always an alternate whenever you have your appetite set on something. The enemy will always present an alternate to you. My appetite was for this, but I’ll settle for this. No! I’m going to stay strong in the Lord and the power of His might, and I’m not going to eat these honey buns.
But what if I told you that in this amazing spread of attractive things, none of these things are good for me except the last thing? This last thing is a beautiful chicken salad with all kinds of healthy stuff in it. I’m hungry right now. This is what God has ordained for me to eat. This is the relationship; this is the marriage; this is the job that God wants me to participate in and indulge in. He wants me to be fully satisfied here. But this would be enough if I didn’t taste all of this.
What happens in many relationships and many marriages is that we get tired of waiting on what God has for us, and we have this natural appetite. So we take a piece of this, a bite of this, a tip of this gummy bear—yep! I might have to either swallow or spit out what I receive that was already prepared for me.
Many times, the reason you can’t be satisfied with one marriage partner is that you’ve tasted everybody else before you made your commitment. The reason why that appetite exists is because if this had been the only thing I tasted, it would have been enough for me. I would have been satisfied and thankful. But when I keep going around tasting things that ultimately leave me hungry again… I’m showing you this because many of us are sacrificing things out of selfishness. We won’t wait on the plan of God, so we taste counterfeits.
Pastor Mike, why are you going hard? Because so many of us are having things subtracted from us like God is holding out on us; what He’s doing is saying, «Stay away from all of these snacks! Stay away from all the things that look good at the moment but will not make you healthier.» This is what we have to do when it comes to social media, business, and everything. What is your appetite telling you to eat that will leave you hungry?
I know some people are trying to tune me out right now because I’m in your life; this is so normal for you. Some of y’all are watching this right now eating the stuff I have right here. Some of you will pray for a goal and then go right after you pray for the goal and discredit what you prayed for based on what you consume.
I’m going to be a pastor today. I’m coming to talk to you, and I don’t care if you like it! I’m telling you God told me that your appetite is killing your destiny! And that’s what happened to David.
Today, I’m calling the sermon «Satisfaction vs. Subtraction.» Realize that everything that promises to satisfy is actually going to take away. David goes in here, and he has an interaction with Bathsheba. He doesn’t just see her; he’s not just attracted to her. He said, «Bring her up here.» Look at it in Second Samuel, chapter 11, verse 4. It says, «Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to the palace, he slept with her.» They had an interaction. Write this point down: interaction always leads to a transaction. If we don’t come into contact, there will be no transfer. This is where people think that whatever you do is all good and nobody gets harmed in it. I’m telling you, you cannot touch anything without some of it getting on you.
Last week, when I put my face in the cake, there was no way I could say that I did not have an interaction with the cake because that interaction created a transfer. What was on the cake got on me. This is why I tell people all the time: why should we wait to have sex before we get married? Because when you do that outside of the container of marriage that God has placed, there is a transfer, and that transfer is called a soul tie. I think next week, I’m going to talk about that, and I might call it entanglements. I don’t know; I’m still working on the title right now. But all I’m telling you is that when there’s a transfer, it gets on you. There’s evidence that you have been with something that may not have been God’s best for you.
When we look at David, culture would say that when he called Bathsheba up and they slept together, that he felt satisfaction—yes, I scored; I saw it; I had it; it’s over. But he’s hurt. I’m the king; I’m the queen; I’m the one that did it. I satisfy my temporary desire, and it’s all good. But here’s the thing I want to let everybody know: every transaction always has evidence. Anytime you have a transaction because of your attraction, there will always be evidence in your life. We know you’re messing around with the guy you’re not supposed to because there’s evidence in your attitude. You’ve changed since you’ve been with them. There’s evidence—it may not be for everybody to see, but we all know there’s evidence of what’s happening. Yeah, I know that business transaction is the biggest deal you ever made, but there’s evidence in how you don’t pay attention to your family anymore.
There’s evidence of the transaction. You thought it just made your bank account bigger, but it made your actual wealth of family lower. There’s evidence for David, and the evidence was a baby. I can imagine that night David sleeps with Bathsheba, and then he’s like, «Alright, cool, I’ll hit you back up if I ever need you again,» and he thinks it’s done. I came, I saw, I conquered. Then she sends word back to him: I can see a scene in my mind: knock, knock, knock. Who is it? It’s me, Bathsheba. Hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you; I didn’t call for you. No, you didn’t call for me, but you knocked me up, and I’ve got your baby. I have evidence we were together. I have something that, when we connected, created something else that I never knew I would have to deal with for this long.
I didn’t know that being your friend would make me like this for so many months. I didn’t know that doing this, but not doing that, would make me deal with this insecurity for this long. I used to be confident before I got in a relationship with you, but after that interaction with you and our transaction, I’ve been insecure ever since. It’s been nine months, and now I’m in full depression; it’s come full term. I used to seek God and pray, but when I had an interaction with you, because of my attraction to you, now there’s evidence in how I don’t pray anymore, how my faith has gone down, how I’ve become pessimistic instead of optimistic.
Some of you have not been able to be self-aware enough because you haven’t been reading the only word that reads you. God will allow the Bible to read you. When I read this, He said, «Michael, there’s evidence that you haven’t been with me. There’s evidence that you’ve been running to other things instead of me.» And for David, it comes out in a baby. I don’t know how it comes out for you, but when the evidence comes out, we go into what I call the great cover-up. When it comes out that our attractions have led us to two interactions that are not good, what we try to do is act like it hasn’t happened, that it has no effect, and that it’s not that big of a deal. We try to act like the infraction really didn’t matter.
But write this point down: it’s never true satisfaction if there has to be an infraction. David slept with another man’s wife; it was adultery from the start. He probably tried to keep it out of his mind; he probably didn’t want to think about it. But the crazy thing is that Bathsheba’s husband was working for David, fighting his battles. He literally betrayed somebody who was loyal to him, fighting for him. That’s how you know that your attractions will lead you to places, and to do things, that you never thought you would do. You can be loyal to someone, and if you go down the road of attraction, you can end up hurting someone who, in one season, you were cool with. It can never be true satisfaction if it started with an infraction.
My question to you is: how did the attraction start? How did it go from what you thought was good? How did it go from what seemed to be right? How did it go from something that felt good to you and then turn into something that was going to cost you more than what it was worth? This is what happened to David. Look at it in Second Samuel, chapter 11, verse 6. It says, «Then David sent word to Joab: send me Uriah, that is Bathsheba’s husband, the Hittite.» So they sent for him; he’s out there fighting. David says, «She’s about to have a baby, so this is what I’m going to do: I’m going to cover it up.» This is what I call human interactions, human infractions, and sin reactions. This is what happens to all of us.
Now, get this: my man is out here fighting the war; I slept with his wife, so I’m going to cover it up. What’s the first thing he’s going to do when he comes back? He’s going to find his wife, and they’re going to sleep together. So David thinks if he can bring Uriah back, they can sleep together, and when the baby is born, they’ll think it’s his baby. They’ll think this was how it was supposed to be. But this man comes home and is like, «Yeah, I don’t know why I’m here right now; my mind is back at the battlefield.» He doesn’t sleep with his wife, and David is in the palace like, «What is going on?» You’ve got to read your Bible because this stuff is better than any sitcom. He calls him back and says, «Bro, you should go sleep with your wife.» Uriah replies, «How can I sleep with my wife when my friends and brothers are on the battlefield?»
So David is like, «Alright, we’ve got to come up with another plan. We’ve got to come up with something different.» And what does he say? «I’m going to send Uriah on a special mission.» He sends him to the front lines, and when I send him to the front lines, he’s going to end up getting killed. So he literally tries to cover up his appetites, his attractions, and his interactions by taking somebody out who had nothing to do with it.
Now, I want to say this to everybody: when we talk about our attractions and our attention, we never think about the innocent bystanders who will suffer because of our decisions. Do you know that there are so many people being affected and suffering because we are attracted to something that’s not even ours? This man sends Uriah to the front line, and he dies. At this moment, everything that David did, he has not felt the weight of it yet because he keeps covering it up. Some of us right now think we’re living a good life because we keep covering up what we’ve messed up. And God says to you today, «What’s done in the dark will always come to light.» I don’t know how else to describe this to you, but nobody around David knew what was happening except him. And because he knew it and God knew it, this would end up subtracting from his life.
There are some people here right now, and because nobody knows publicly what your attractions have made you do, you think you’re winning. But I came as a prophet of God today to tell you that this is the moment you need to go ahead and go first. If you’ve done something, you need to tell your wife. If you’ve done something, you need to tell your husband. This is the moment of transparency, not just honesty. Honesty is telling the truth when they ask you or when it’s found out. But this is the season of transparency. It’s the season of transparency for America; it’s the season of transparency for everything. God is saying you better go first. I know they’re not going to like this one, Demario, but as a pastor, I can’t just teach the things that tantalize the ears and not teach the things that will change your soul. You better go first because just because people don’t know doesn’t mean that God doesn’t.
Look what happens to David: his attraction that he tried to cover up is the same thing that has been happening since the very beginning. When Adam and Eve listened to their attraction, they ate the fruit, and then God came around and asked them the first self-awareness question that I’m asking you: He said, «Adam, where are you?» That’s the same thing. He didn’t lose Adam; this was a question to see if Adam could locate himself. I am going to ask you, like God asked Adam: as we’re sitting here and all of this is hitting you, you thought today was good—like oh, I’m about to see Michael smash some cakes. No, no, no! God’s coming to search your soul: where are you? If you can’t locate where you are right now, you’re going to do what Adam and Eve did. They went and got leaves and started covering up. When they came to this cover-up, just like David went to this cover-up, your attractions—write this down—can make someone else a fraction.
A fraction is something that was whole and has been broken down into pieces. David’s attraction to Bathsheba robbed her. Some of you side pieces out there think you’ve got a better deal because you’ve got the Gucci and the Louis, but it’s actually robbing you. Your value is going down because you have given in to somebody else’s attraction, and their attraction made you a fraction. For some reason, the thing that used to be whole is now pieced out. That’s why they call it a side piece.
Look at Second Samuel, chapter 11, verse 26. When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she’s a fraction now. She mourned for him; she didn’t want that to happen. Just think about it from Bathsheba’s standpoint: she was in an herbal essence commercial taking a bath, washing her hair. She gets sent for, the king is like, «Baby, let’s do this.» They sleep together, she gets pregnant, and now her husband dies. She didn’t want this to happen, so she mourned. But watch this: when the period of mourning was over, look at this fool David. David sent for her: «You done crying? Come on, baby.» That one thing we did that was nice. He brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son.
Watch this: but the Lord was displeased with what David had done. It doesn’t matter if everybody is cool with your offense; if the Lord is displeased, it doesn’t matter if now you’re in a relationship and we’re good, and we’re about to get married and try to make it right. It doesn’t matter if the business was successful but started off crooked. It doesn’t matter if we do all this stuff, if everybody sees you as successful, a CEO or whatever. It doesn’t matter if everybody’s cool; if the Lord is displeased, David thought the cover-up worked. He thought his attractions led to his satisfaction. That’s what culture would tell us, but there was some crazy stuff that happened in the middle. Isn’t it crazy how we sum up all the foolishness, despair, and heartache that happens in our lives?
Just like there was a crazy season I was attracted to, we went through a tumultuous time, and now everything is good. However, the attraction from that moment has caused so much despair, loss, death, hurt, mourning, and pain. Yet, he thought it was good. The reason I had to preach this message today is that I needed to help someone who truly believes that what you’re doing or what you’ve done, by listening to your attractions, has led you to a place where you feel defeated. David, when he brought Bathsheba to be one of his wives, thought, «Okay, we made it.» Then God sent a prophet named Nathan. If you read Chapter 12 in your Bible, Nathan literally says, «I’m about to rebuke you, David, because the attraction you had has now equaled subtraction.» Write that down: attraction can equal subtraction.
Watch what David is about to lose because of what he saw on the rooftop. Think about what you have the opportunity to lose because you went to that website. Consider what you risk losing by keeping company with the wrong people. David had to receive a rebuke from a man of God, and I encourage you to read the whole account. But I will jump to verse 11, where Nathan says, «This is what the Lord says: because of what you have done, your own household will rebel against you.» If you continue to read further, you’ll see that later in David’s life, one of his own sons, named Absalom, rises up against him, forcing David, as the king, to hide because Absalom is trying to overthrow his kingdom. He was literally about to bring his own consequences into the world. The Lord said, «Because of what you’ve done, your own household will rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them in public view.» My God, is that not called reaping what you sow?
He said, «You did it secretly, but I will make it happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.» This is a dangerous scripture, and it’s one of the things that causes people to be thrown off because they think God is mean. However, there are principles of consequence. The baby was a consequence of their actions. I need you all to hear me right now: consequence is a principle that exists on this earth. If I slap someone, there will be a consequence. If I eat too much cake, there will be a consequence: I’ll be on the toilet all night. Consequences exist, yet many times people want their attractions to subtract from them without experiencing any repercussions.
David finds out that his attraction is going to end up subtracting from him—not in that moment; this is where we get played. Not in that moment will it subtract from us, but over our lifetime, we will encounter moments that confirm, «This was supposed to feel better than this. This was supposed to be more fulfilling. Why isn’t it?» It’s because, in a different season, we were led by our attractions. Alright, Pastor Mike, so what do we do? Because many of you, like me, have been led by your attractions for many years, which have resulted in ongoing interactions that have subtracted from you.
While attraction can equal subtraction, listen to this: repentance can bring restoration. This is why I have shared this whole story. I want you to understand the grace of God. Repentance can lead to restoration, which means to be restored better than new. I don’t know who I’m talking to, but as we approach this moment—some of us feel like we are on a slippery slope, feeling as though we are in a pit. You may feel like David at this moment where God is saying there are consequences for what you’ve done. Yet, if you would repent and turn from living your life as you have—going the way you’ve been going, talking the way you’ve been talking, watching the things that you’ve been watching—if you would just turn to God.
That’s all the word «repent» means: to turn. Some of us will not just turn; we need to turn to God. After David found out about the subtraction coming his way, look what happened in 2 Samuel 12:13. I love this. This is the attitude that many of us need to have because I don’t know what you’ve done, only what I have done. But this is the remedy: Then David confessed to Nathan, «I have sinned against the Lord.» Watch how quickly God’s grace responds. Nathan replied, «Yes, you sinned, but the Lord has forgiven you.» I want you to see how swiftly grace rushes in to anyone who turns.
He said, «I have sinned; I have done the wrong thing.» And Nathan replied, «Yes, you’ve sinned, but the Lord has forgiven you.» The grace of God is not trying to make you suffer; He just needs you to recognize that you can’t do this without Him. You can’t live purely without Him. You won’t be able to escape these toxic relationships without Him. He said, «I need you to—everybody shout at me—repent.» And at the moment he repented and confessed, Nathan told him, «You’ve already been forgiven.»
I want to address those who feel overwhelmed because you’ve made so many mistakes, listened to attractions, pursued appetites, given them attention, and engaged in destructive interactions. Yet, when I genuinely turned to God, I remember getting down on my knees in my bedroom and saying, «God, I don’t want to live like this anymore. I’ve hurt this person and that person. More than anything, I’m dealing with the consequences.» I no longer wanted to continue down that path. So, I turned to You, and in that moment, grace, like a flood, washed over me. It enveloped my soul, it changed my life, and God said, «All I needed you to do was repent, and now I can provide restoration.»
I know there are people here who, on the inside, you’re trying to keep it all together because you don’t want others to see that this may impact your life. But internally, you’re bottled up with all these infractions, all these secret texts and emails, all these thoughts. You may convince yourself that you haven’t done it, yet the Bible tells us that as a man thinks, so is he. So, you might as well have done it. God is saying, «All of us have sinned and fallen short of His glory. We’ve all been led astray by our attractions, but you can remedy it right now by repenting.»
Let me be very clear: repentance for David did not erase the consequence. This part is tough because while he repented, Bathsheba had a baby that later died. After the baby passed away, the Bible says David began to worship because he had repented and understood the consequences of what had happened. No matter what those consequences were, his heart was right. There are some people still in the midst of the consequences of decisions made in your life; you’re still dealing with things, but if your heart is pure, you can still lift your hands and worship.
Many of you are battling issues such as baby mama drama, court cases, strife with family members, and so much more, but God says, «Just make sure you’ve repented, and your heart is right with Me.» Even in the worst moments of his life, David could lift his hands and worship God because he knew his heart was clear.
I feel the spirit of repentance all over the world right now. I understand that some of you might have been resistant during this entire message because you don’t want to acknowledge the infractions made due to your attractions. But God is giving you an opportunity to repent right now. Repent for speaking about people. Repent for inviting harmful habits into your life. Repent for having a negative attitude toward what He asked you to do. I believe it’s time for us, as a church and the body of Christ, to take the road to renewal.
Let me share a practical secret God told me. He said, «Michael, watch these four steps when you act recklessly.» When you stray, when you make poor decisions, when you mess things up, the first thing you need to do is take responsibility. Own your mistakes. Admittedly, I messed that one up; I made the wrong decision. I talked to you wrong, or perhaps I stepped out, emotionally cheated, or acted recklessly toward my children.
Then, after taking responsibility, you must repent—turn to God. After you repent, the grace of God promptly renews you. I want each of you to take these steps. I don’t know which areas you need to consider right now, but David’s attractions led to subtraction, and God wants everything that has been subtracted from you to be renewed. He desires to renew you, rejuvenate every mistake, and rectify every mess-up. That’s why He sent Jesus—to ensure we don’t stay in that place. He loves you too much to leave you there.
So let’s look at 2 Peter 3:9—one of my favorite scriptures, which has provided so much comfort: «The Lord isn’t slow in keeping His promises, as some people think. No, He is patient for your sake because He does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent.» Hands lifted all over the world and in this room right now. I don’t know what you need to repent from, but I’m going to ask God for you.
He’s not being slow; He’s being patient. The reason He hasn’t elevated you is that He’s giving you an opportunity. The reason He hasn’t exposed everything is that He’s giving you a chance to correct it yourself. God wants all of us to repent.
The moment David repented, everything God had promised him was restored. After he lost one baby, he had Solomon—his next child, the next attempt, who would go on to be the wisest man that ever lived. God is saying your setback can be a setup. The next one can be the best one; the next try can be the one that takes you to the world. But you can’t do it without repentance. This is what God is asking all of us to do—repent.
Hands lifted, Father, I’m asking that right now, I did what You asked me to do. I’ve shared my personal journey of repentance. You told me that when I was reckless, I should take responsibility, and after that, I needed to repent. In the moment of repentance, You promised renewal. God, I ask You to do this for all my brothers and sisters watching right now. For every marriage that has faced infractions, I pray that they take responsibility and acknowledge, «That was my fault; I messed up, I stepped out.» Together, I trust that couples around the world will have their hearts right with You as they repent and dedicate their relationship back to You, Lord.
I pray for all my single brothers and sisters who have faced the consequences of their attractions and distractions. I ask that they take responsibility and repent for leading others on or engaging in relationships that distracted them. God, I thank You that this is a season of renewal. You don’t want anyone to be destroyed; that’s why You’re being patient with us. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, that enables us to be renewed. I thank You, Father God, that even at this moment, people are altering the trajectory of their lives because they will turn to You and repent today. God, I am asking You to do deep work in every relationship. Every person on every heart, and I thank you, Father God, that you will get the glory, the honor, and the praise out of our lives. In Jesus' name, we agree.
I pray for all my single brothers and sisters who have faced the consequences of their attractions and distractions. I ask that they take responsibility and repent for leading others on or engaging in relationships that distracted them. God, I thank You that this is a season of renewal. You don’t want anyone to be destroyed; that’s why You’re being patient with us. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, that enables us to be renewed. I thank You, Father God, that even at this moment, people are altering the trajectory of their lives because they will turn to You and repent today. God, I am asking You to do deep work in every relationship. Every person on every heart, and I thank you, Father God, that you will get the glory, the honor, and the praise out of our lives. In Jesus' name, we agree.
Look at me right now, everybody, all over the world. David Steele is cited as a man after God’s own heart, even with the mess he made. Because he repented, God did not see David like He does not see you and me through our worst moments. God sees us through the lens of Jesus, and when He looks at us and we’ve repented and put our faith in Jesus, He doesn’t see what we’ve done; He sees what Jesus did for us. Today, there are some people watching who have never accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.
Today, all you have to do is repent, turn from what you’ve been doing, and turn to Him, and as you turn to Him, God no longer counts your sins against you; He sees the finished work of the cross. So today, all over the world, if you’re watching this live or on a rebroadcast, I believe there’s about to be an explosion, a revival of salvations in this moment. All these people out here are trying to preach to you to make you happy and to make you do this, but if you die tomorrow and you have not repented, you have not turned to God, eternity is destroyed and not what it’s supposed to be for you. Today, I’m fighting for somebody’s life who needs to turn to God, and God is saying this is your moment. According to Romans 10:9, all you have to do is confess and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He came just for you, that He lived, and He rose again from the dead to take away all of our sins, and He said you are saved.
Today, if you want to make that decision, I want to pray with you. All over this world, there are people I believe are going to make this decision, and on the count of three, I want you to do something physical; I want you to lift your hands. Today, I feel a very apostolic anointing, a very pastoral anointing, to speak into your life right now. I don’t care about clicks and likes; I care about your life. I want your life changed; I want your life transformed. I don’t want you to have to repeat these cycles.
Today, God’s asking you, could you repent and just give me everything that I already gave you? One: if this is the decision you’re making, you’re making the greatest decision of your life—I am so proud of you, but more than that, God is proud of you. Three: lift your hands all over the world if you’re making that decision to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior. Come on, hands are going up all over the world. Now, right now, we’re about to pray for transformation. You already know nobody prays alone at this church; we’re one big family. So, I want everybody to pray this out loud for the benefit of those who are coming to Christ right now. Everybody just say:
God, thank you for sending Jesus to take care of all my infractions. Today, I believe you lived, you died, and you rose again just for me. I repent of all my sins, and I ask you to be the Lord of my life. Change me, renew me, transform me; I’m yours in Jesus' name.