Michael Todd - Distractions In The Deep
Good morning, Transformation Church! I said good morning, Transformation Church! Hey, listen, I am so grateful that you are here with us, and I believe that God has something really special for us today. This has been a week. If you’re not from the Midwest, if you’re not from Tulsa, if you’re not from the South, the storm from the devil came through the South this week. Most of us have been inside, and a lot of people have lost power. Our friends in Texas have been going through so many different challenges.
Transformation Church, number one, I just want to say thank you for being a generous church. Because of you, we’ve been able to meet needs and help the homeless here in our city and send money to different organizations like Convoy of Hope and others to actually be boots on the ground in all of these places. So I want to thank you. The other thing I want to do is remind you that 2021 has just started, and we’ve already seen a bunch of storms. Now, that might not be encouraging for everyone, but for people who are anchored, it doesn’t matter, because when the storm comes, we have an anchor.
I feel encouraged; like the trials that keep coming, I’m just like, «Oh okay, is this it? Is this what you had for me this week?» Because when you’re anchored to something that doesn’t move, and His name is Jesus, our anchor has a name. It helps you go through life. What I’m praying for you is, as we’re about to end this series, I have a word for you today that I’m so ready to share with you. I just want you to open your heart and realize how vital it is, how divine it is, how intentional it is that you decide. Everybody say «decide.» Nobody can make you be anchored; nobody can make you do the things that are going to keep you focused. But someone say «decide» today! I believe some people are going to decide. I need somebody to help me open up your hearts.
So, something cool happened: you all know in Transformation Nation, I see and our team sees everything you post, all of the songs you make, and all of the remixes of «Sustain» that you’ve done. We see everything, and there’s so much love coming. Oftentimes, people’s creativity inspires everything. I saw a young lady do a poem entitled «Anchored,» and somebody sent it to me over Instagram. I was like, «Who is this? Get her here! She needs to do this on the last week of our series.» So today, to open up your hearts, will you give it up, Transformation Nation, for one of your own? Transformation Nation, will you give it up for Candy as she comes to the platform?
Let’s face it: life can be tough, with lots of pain and uncertainty. We often turn to people and things just looking for some stability. Sometimes we know a storm is coming, and other times, we trip and fall. Then who do you run to? Who do you call? You need an anchor. Like a baby latches onto his mother’s breast moments after birth, being placed on her chest familiarizes itself with the person whose womb carried and nurtured its life to bloom. I’m anchored with a secure attachment orientation stemming from the one who determined the body’s formation—knitted together before and behind. Social relationships can pattern after this kind of security. I’m anchored; a false sense of safety exists in the shallow. If deep calls to deep, this ship cannot be hollow. No surface level of intimacy can accomplish the purpose that God has for me, so I’m anchored. Each act of obedience sets my life a sail.
When the metal grips the rock, the waves cannot prevail. Maybe visibly shaken by the storms that see, but my soul finds rest like my Captain did in Galilee. I’m anchored; they say the race is not for the swift but requires endurance. Discipline’s gift: the four-by-one of a relay race. Legs one through three may run a steady pace, but the fourth leg runner with a stallion stride can close the gap and anchor the prize for the team. You are an anchor— a mentor, a teacher, a gap filler, a preacher, a leader, a generational curse-breaker. Whatever you’re locked into, we all need an anchor for our souls because Christ’s love is the remedy for the broken, fragile heart running on empty. We have an anchor firmly planted. Roots run deep, vines bear fruit.
Victory tastes sweet; abiding becomes easy. Wherever we roam, His presence lingers like an eternal home. We have an anchor when it’s winter or a summer trend. Protective styles become a natural’s best friend. The first or last braid on a woman’s head slays the look or prevents the breakage. Be dreadlocked; it says your crown is anchored. See, when you interweave yourself in community, like braided hairstyles, you promote strength and unity. Both parties connect; when the anchors link, it becomes impossible to capsize or sink. So together, we be the anchor. And then, as the pedal sustains the notes of a chord, a sound resounds from heaven’s keyboard. The musical progression begins on the one, so let your soul find its anchor in the Son. I’m anchored, from the securely latched baby to the vine fruitfully abiding. From the strongest relay runner to the braided protective styling. From the musical chord to the floating ship, an anchor supports—it’s an anti-drift. Get anchored!
Oh, Transformation Nation, can we give it up for Candy? How powerful! Thank you so much! Oh, you all can do better than that. Come on! Candy, thank you so much. You encapsulated seven weeks of this vision series into a three- or four-minute poem that captured us. I don’t want you to ever forget where you’re from. I felt that anchor! I felt something in there. But she comes from a place where there are boats— a place you’ve seen. You grew up on the sea; you saw what it takes to be anchored. I just want to confirm and affirm the gift God has placed on your life. You helped all of us see something in four minutes that it took me seven weeks to do. So thank you so much! Y’all, give it up one more time for Candy! Glory to God! And now, let’s give it up to the God who makes us anchored! Come on, let’s give God a shout of praise that He is worthy of! Hallelujah!
Are y’all ready? I said, are you all ready? In the chat, I need you to let me know if you’re ready right now. I need you to let me know: say, «I’m ready, Pastor Mike!» Now, this is the last week. I’ve been sitting on this word all week long, and it’s time for us to go to a whole 'nother level. So this is what I’m going to ask you to do. If it is your desire to actually be anchored, what I’m going to ask you to do right now is lift your hands. I want to pray for you. What she spoke over you was in faith; has it actually played out in our lives yet? In many areas, it hasn’t. But today, prophetically, we’re speaking that you’re going to be anchored all this year, and then it’s going to anchor your families, it’s going to anchor your children, it’s going to anchor your business. Somebody say, «I’m anchored!»
Father, we have come to you today not to hear from a woman or a man; we’ve come to hear from you. So, Holy Spirit, I’m asking that you would do what only you do; stand outside of time and invade every one of our situations right at the point that we need it. Father, there are people right now who are about to break under pressure. There are others, Father God, who are about to succeed in an area they didn’t think they were qualified for. Father, no matter if we’re on the mountaintop or in the valley low, we still need an anchor. And so today, Father, we ask you, we invite you into our situation. Somebody say, «God, you’re invited here!» Come on, no, no, no, right there, and say, «God, you’re invited here!» Be specific: you’re invited into my marriage, you’re invited into this dating relationship, you’re invited into my loneliness, you’re invited into this depression, you’re invited into this discrimination. Come on, wherever it’s at, invite Him right now!
God, oh, I feel the presence of God right now. God, I’m inviting you here, because if you’re there, everything has to change. When you’re there, the seas and the winds have to calm down. If you’re there, I know that I’m gonna make it. Father, help us to not drift. We declare this is a season of no drift, and we’ll give you the glory, honor, and praise, Father. We’re not gonna wait until the storm comes to praise you; we’re gonna praise you right now in the middle of it! That was your cue; you missed it! In your home, on the track, in this room— that’s your cue! I dare you to give God praise right now in the midst of the storm! You’re worthy, God; we worship you, God! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
God, oh, I feel the presence of God right now. God, I’m inviting you here, because if you’re there, everything has to change. When you’re there, the seas and the winds have to calm down. If you’re there, I know that I’m gonna make it. Father, help us to not drift. We declare this is a season of no drift, and we’ll give you the glory, honor, and praise, Father. We’re not gonna wait until the storm comes to praise you; we’re gonna praise you right now in the middle of it! That was your cue; you missed it! In your home, on the track, in this room— that’s your cue! I dare you to give God praise right now in the midst of the storm! You’re worthy, God; we worship you, God! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Oh my goodness, this can’t be the last week of the series! The crazy thing about it is, even though it’s the last week of this series, it is the word that God has given us for the whole year. So you’re going to hear «anchored» in every sermon; this will not be something that we do for a little bit and then move on. You are going to see the results! If you’re a part of Transformation Nation and Transformation Church, you’re going to see the results of a group of people who have dropped their anchor and decided, «No drift.»
And today, I’m grateful because I believe this word is going to impact you for the rest of your life. So, if you’re ready, I need you to go with me today. We are starting week seven of a series we’re calling «Help Me.» Hey, say it one more time with your chest! If this is your first time joining us, I want to say, «Where you been?» No, I’m just playing. We are in week seven and we are grateful for what God is saying. If you haven’t watched all of the messages that go along with this series, I would strongly encourage you to go back and watch those messages. It starts from «Mark My Words» and goes all the way to today’s message, which I’m gonna tell you the title in a minute.
And let me just tell you how good God is. In the midst of this, one of the things that God always asks us to do is just be ready, available, and obedient to what He wants to do. Earlier this year, God gave us an opportunity to expand and go outside of our normal audience and take the message to the world. As of, I think, last week, Transformation Church has a weekly daily television show on TBN and the Hillsong Channel! Oh, y’all are not shouting with me, but this gets to go to countries that none of us can go to right now! You missed it!
When there’s a blockage, God says, «I’ll take the message where I want it to go.» And every night, tell your grandma, tell your auntie, tell your uncle— some of your family members— some of your mom and my mom, they’d be having TBN in the background. It’s like background music right now! I want you to tell them every weekday at 6:00 PM Central, Transformation is on! Guess what? I thought it was a setback; I honestly did. That all of our archived sermons weren’t able to be used because of something technical, and when Bree told me that, I was like, «Ah, this is trash! Do you know how many great sermons we have, like 'Relationship Goals' and 'Marked and Graced' and 'Like a Flood'? People are gonna miss what God is saying!»
I was going through all of this deep stuff, and the first series that we could air in the quality that was needed was «Anchored.» This past week, my mother-in-law texted me. She was like, «Michael, you’re on TV!» I was like, «Mommy, you see me every day!» But she was excited. Then some friends started calling; people started doing. The one that hit me is, I came outside my house right after slipping on the ice to take the trash out, and my neighbor walked outside. He said, «Oh, Pastor Mike! Can I holler at you for one second?» He was over there, and I was over here and I just fell, so I was kind of like, «Text me!» because I didn’t want to fall again. But anyway, he said, «At four o’clock this morning, your voice woke me up.»
I said, «Well, I wasn’t at your house, bro! I don’t know what happened!» But he said, «I fell asleep on TBN, and there were a couple of things that I had in the works before the pandemic hit, and they all dried up. I’ve been so discouraged. But out of my sleep, I heard you saying, 'If God gives you a vision, get God’s view! Mark my words! '» I don’t talk to my neighbor about that, but something we did here found him in the wee hours of the morning! I’m just excited about the transformation that’s going to happen as we go to the world. I don’t think it’s an accident that God would shut down what I thought would have been the content that needed it. He said, «I’m gonna shut all this down so that people can hear the word I need them to hear this year.» What’s the word of the year? Hey!
So today I’m going to invite you to a deeper level of understanding. We decided that we’re not going to drift. Someone shot at me, no drift. The crazy thing is, this week you had an opportunity to drift, and tomorrow you’ll have another chance to drift. Right now, someone is texting you. You need to label them in your phone as «The Drift.» Yes, Valentine’s Day. Some of you drifted to make yourself feel better because of what didn’t happen on Valentine’s Day. Some of you drifted. And what God is saying is that you need to label places, people, and things as «The Drift.» Because you know there are certain spots where once you get there, there is a drift ahead. But we have decided as a church, someone say to me, «No Drift.»
I believe the power of God is coming to help us sustain. We’re not just singing that song in a worshipful setting; it’s you sustain. It doesn’t matter what happens; I’m not going to drift. However, there’s one thing I thought would be irresponsible not to give you a warning or understanding of before we go there. Because some of you are already in the deep. If you’re already in the deep right now, raise your hand if your family, situation, finances, or business is in the deep. Some of us are going into the deep, while some of us have been in the shallow, and some of us are pushing off from the shore. I don’t care where you are; I believe this year we’re going to the deep because we need to be anchored.
I heard a story that really messed with me before I tell you what I’m about to preach on. I heard about a guy who wanted to go deep-sea fishing. So, he input the coordinates to where he was supposed to go. Once he started on this journey in the boat by himself, which is problem number one! Going to the deep by yourself is never a smart idea. That’s why you just heard Pastor Amberlee and Pastor Bree talk about community, being in small groups, and leading small groups. Going to the deep is never smart alone! I can’t even stress this enough: Jesus decided not to go to the deep by himself.
Now, if the Son of God, who could do anything, decided to choose 11—I’ll say 12, but one fell off—regular people, do you know how insulting some conversations Jesus probably had to endure with the disciples? Because He is God in human form, and they are talking about who is the greatest. None of you are great, but He decided to do life with people despite His status. This man who went on this journey decided to go to the deep by himself. He got out there, it was sunny, but then the sun started to set. He was in the middle of an ocean where he could see animals bigger than the boat.
Night fell, and a storm came. He literally stayed out at sea; this is a true story—for four days! He ran out of water, ran out of food, and at the point where he was about to give up and die, he saw someone and they came to rescue him. He went back to the gentleman who gave him the instructions and coordinates, saying, «I can’t figure out what happened; I almost lost my life out here in the deep trying to do this thing.» The gentleman said, «Let me see the directions.» He replied, «Oh, you put in the coordinates one degree off.» The man asked, «One degree? What does one degree have to do with me being in a place I was supposed to be?»
And this is the point I want you to write down because it makes sense for where we are and where we’re going: when you are in the deep, one degree makes the difference. It was just a little lie, but when you’re going to the deep, one degree makes the difference. It was just a little manipulation to avoid using one of my PTO days. I had the sniffles, but I wasn’t really sick. I didn’t want to use one of my days because I’m planning to go on spring break. So, it was just one degree off from the truth. It was just one degree off the right number I should be paid for the hours I worked. It was just one degree. I was only on Instagram watching them dance for 30 seconds; it was a challenge everyone was doing. It was my second cousin, and I thought she was going to do a poem; then she took it low.
Instead of clicking off immediately, I stayed to see what she was wearing, just one degree away from purity. The reason I’m bringing this up is that in this vision series we’ve decided we’re not going to drift. A lot of you think, «Pastor, that doesn’t matter; the one degree doesn’t matter.» I would agree with you if you were going to stay in the shallow. One degree from here to there, I can just step over into what I’m supposed to be in. But write this point down: The drift doesn’t matter if you’re not going the distance. Some of you, if you don’t realign and stop drifting, that one degree you’re off right now from here to the end of next year is going to matter. From here to next month, it’s not going to matter at the job you’re working at right now. It won’t matter, but when you become a business owner, that one degree is critical.
This man was 15 miles out of the spot he was supposed to be in because he went to the deep; he went the distance, but he was one degree off. I don’t know who I’m talking to right now, but I feel a strong rebuke coming to the church: If you don’t get back to what I’ve called you to do—winning people to Jesus, not caring about platforms but caring about people—if you don’t get back, the church is one degree off. You think it’s about making sure your Instagram is popping, while God is trying to ensure that souls aren’t popping in hell. He wants you to be about His business, and I’m telling you right now, that’s why our church won’t drift. You don’t have to like it and you don’t have to be here, but when I stand here before you, and I get in my prayer closet, if we are one degree off, we are saying, «Search me, O Lord; if there’s anything in me that’s not like You, take it out.»
Father God, expose me! Start praying real prayers in the deep. You all want to pray shallow prayers, but you need to start praying some real prayers. Pray this prayer: «Expose me, God.» Be careful with that one because that could turn the one degree into being right on path. You might lose some friends over that one, and you might get a demotion because of that one when God starts exposing you, and you accidentally send the email to the person you were talking about. «Expose me, God.»
He knows you’re not humble enough to take just instruction, and so, to redirect you, He has to expose you. But the thing is exposing us is still God’s grace because He would rather expose us here than allow us to get to the deep and be 15 miles off the purpose He called us to. It would be irresponsible of me to come to this last week of Anchored and not tell you to make sure your coordinates are right. Make sure you’re tapping in. I’m married by 34 and living in L.A., and if you’ve got the coordinates you’ve set up, make sure it wasn’t just you punching in numbers.
When you look at other people’s Instagram and say, «I want to land there,» I want to warn you, because it’s the essence of what I want to talk to you about. I feel like, just by faith, there are many people being deployed this series. I see people with Anchored tattoos; everybody’s seeing anchors everywhere! Your clothes have anchors on them, some people have cups with anchors, and their dishes have anchors. I believe God is doing this; He picked such a sign that’s been around us all the time to remind us of something. The reason He’s doing that is that there are distractions in the deep.
Today, I want to title the message: Distractions in the Deep. Because I don’t want to deploy you thinking that once you get in the deep, it’s just easy. I want to let you know that there will be distractions in the deep. Write that down right now—somebody say distractions in the deep. We talk about God doing the dynamic in the deep, but there are also distractions in the deep. I thought it would be most helpful because it was helpful to me when God showed me this is going to be a distraction. There are some things that come when you’re successful that could be distractions. You might stop praying because now you have finances. You might start thinking you’re better than people because now you can hire people. Here are some distractions in the deep: None of you deal with this, but you’re just praying so much to get to a certain place, and then God says, «But I need to sustain you in that place.» So, I want to talk to the people who are actually going to the deep and who are going to go the distance. Somebody, by faith, say I’m going to go the distance! Somebody needs to say that one more time: I’m going to go the distance!
I want to take for our topic of study a very familiar passage of scripture, but I don’t want you to think about it from the normal standpoint; I want you to consider it from the distraction angle. This story is in Matthew chapter 14, verse 22. It says, «Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that the disciples get back in the boat and cross to the other side of the lake.» It says while He sent the people home, after sending them home, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. Night fell while He was there alone. Meanwhile, at the same time, the disciples were in trouble, far away from land. They were in the deep, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o’clock in the morning, Jesus came strolling towards them, walking on water. When the disciples saw Him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, «It’s a ghost!»
We’ve all heard the story of Peter walking on water, but I want to highlight the distractions that come in this story to keep them from reaching their intended destination. Did you see the first distraction? It took me three times reading it to see it, but right there in verse 26, it says, «When the disciples saw Him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, 'It’s a ghost! '»
Write this down: Emotional distractions debilitate your discernment. These disciples were so emotionally distracted that in their fear they labeled God a ghost! What has you spooked is the question. They just walked with Jesus a few hours ago; they ate with Him and saw miracles. They were close enough to Him to know what He smelled like, but then they got emotionally distracted and lost all discernment. I came to ask you right now, as you’re praying to go deep and as God is taking you to another level, are you so emotionally distracted that your discernment has decreased? You’re picking the wrong relationships, the wrong vacation times, having the wrong conversations because you’re emotionally distracted. «Well, I’m hurt, I’m frustrated, I’m angry; they don’t see me.» And God is saying to you, you need to bring your emotions to me so you can see clearly. The devil doesn’t even have to come if your emotions are in control. The devil doesn’t have to mess with some of you for a decade; you keep blaming him, but it’s actually your own insecurities and your own unresolved trauma.
Let me stop: The number one distraction in the deep is your own emotions. «Well, they don’t see me; they don’t value me.» God already said you were called; He said He chose you. He told you to go to the deep, but you want them to say something they didn’t even know about you. I’m calling the church to sacrifice your emotions on the altar. This is something I have to do daily because if I get in my emotions, we can all create a soap opera about our own story. Oh, don’t play me like that! You can be at the top of the mountain, experiencing the season you prayed for, and still invent a soap opera. «Oh, nobody loves me!» You’ll literally make up an entire soap opera about your situation, and God is saying, «Dang it! The devil didn’t even have to sift them; their emotions were their detriment.» And the thing about it is, it’s not just a bad thing that your emotions are here; God gave us our emotions.
Emotions are like indicators. If you’re ever in a car and the brake light comes on, those are indicators. We’re supposed to do something with those emotions, and Jesus tells us, «Hey, cast all your burdens, bring all your cares.» If they’re too heavy to talk to you about, bring them to me. If you’re still dealing with mama trauma, come on, bring it to me. But instead, we would rather continue to carry that burden as if it’s going to help us, and it’s honestly weighing us down. The problem is it has a result; it takes away our discernment. Your emotional distractions—I’m really trying to move—but some of you have been debilitated and have no more discernment. Why are you in the house you’re in right now? Because you are emotionally distracted by what happened in your brother’s or sister’s life.
You said, «I want to feel better about myself, and I want this,» so you went and got into debt that you didn’t need. Oh, I have to be honest with you right now because nobody else is going to say this; they’re scared you’ll walk away from them. You can leave me, but the truth will remain the same. I’m telling you right now, your discernment is off. You could look at your bank account and discern that you didn’t need that, but your emotions were in control. Ah, some of you right now are in a relationship, texting «bae,» and that is all emotional dysfunction that has now manifested in a real relationship, and you lost discernment. You would have never let anyone talk to you like that 10 years ago, and now you’re making excuses for his or her dysfunction just because you want to be in an Instagram picture with someone. All I’m saying to you is you know you’re not a pastor; you’re supposed to be helping someone else do this thing, but you want to have a ministry so badly and be «Doctor So-and-so» and «First Lady So-and-so,» and you’ve lost discernment in the deep.
Now you’re taking other people with you to diminish distractions in the deep, and the devil doesn’t have to come for this one; it’s your own emotions. Jesus, why are you saying this, Pastor Mike? Because if you’re going to last and you’re going to go to the deep, there’s one tool that God has given through His Holy Spirit, and it’s called discernment. Write this point down: you need discernment in the deep. You can’t go to the deep on knowledge; you can’t go to the deep on intellect. You can’t go into the deep because you’ve watched all five seasons of «Iyanla, Fix My Life.» You can’t go to the deep without the Holy Spirit. That inner voice that says, «Don’t turn that way» or «Don’t call them back right now; you’re emotionally unstable"—that thing inside you that says, «Go apologize now» is discernment.
If you wait two more hours, there’ll be something else the enemy has given them in their mind, and you’re going to be working through that. This, for me, is when the Bible says, «Don’t quench the Holy Spirit.» This is what the Holy Spirit does; He lets you know the truth that is to come. You don’t have knowledge or foresight about it, but He speaks to you, and you say stupid stuff like, «Something told me"—no, that was the Holy Spirit. He was trying to enlarge your discernment, but you’ve become numb because you’ve been emotionally distracted. These disciples allowed terror and fear to name God a ghost. There are some situations that are God for you that you’ve been saying, «Uh, that’s spooky, that’s scary, that’s not God.» Oh, because you thought only God moves in upward movements? You thought «glory to glory, grace to grace,» but sometimes His highest calling for you is lower. You’re going to go the distance.
I’m just saying that you could have the title for the next year and then ruin your family for the next 20, but God is so good that He said, «I can’t take them there,» even though their skills may qualify them, their character does not. So let me demote them for a season and see if they still serve like they did when everybody was watching. Let’s see if they still love like they did when they could post on Instagram about what they were doing during the week, and see if they still give even though they have only half their salary. Let’s see if they still try. Y’all don’t hear what I’m saying!
Here, I’m only talking to people who are going to dwell in the deep. If you’re going to dwell in the deep, somebody give God a shout of praise right now! That is the only encouragement you’re getting today, because I’m going to tell you about yourself and the distractions that keep you in the same place. All I’m saying is these disciples knew Jesus. Oh, so that means I’m not talking to new believers; I’m talking to all the crusty religious people. Oh, you thought because your Bible has wrinkles in it and you’ve highlighted it that you’ve arrived in the deep? But God is saying to you today that your emotion of pride, that Pharisaical spirit, has you labeling those young people that God brought into your life. You are supposed to mentor them, not prove to them they didn’t know anything.
So the problem with this situation is because of your pride: «I’m grown, and I was doing this before you were born.» That attitude got you in your feelings, and that way, you are now irrelevant. You were relevant for the last 10 years, but you’ll be mute for the next 20 because God was trying to bring you into a situation where your emotions weren’t in control but your character in Christ was. And now you’ve lost discernment. You used to walk into a room and could tell where God was, but now He’s sitting on you and you don’t even know it. The church has to have discernment. How do I walk into the boardroom with sharks and know which business opportunity to take? I don’t have it here, I don’t have it here, but I got it because I have the Holy Spirit.
Do you know how many times I’ve walked into rooms? Bri can tell you, with older white men. I’m going to tell the real story; I’m dressed like this, and I’m sitting there with bankers and CEOs and movie producers and all this other stuff, and God whispers to me, «You’re in charge in this room.» God, I really don’t know what I’m doing! He said, «But you trust that I do; now obey.» And they’ll start talking some talk that I’ve never heard before, and then the debilitating, depreciating amount of this and that, and then the foreclosure of this and that, and all the other. And the Holy Spirit will say to me, «Say stop.» Anything after that, I just kind of stopped the whole meeting. Didn’t know what to do. And they’ll say, «Say, I want it for 50% off.»
God, I don’t know if that’s respectful. But since I don’t have anybody else in the room advocating for me, did you know one of the names for the Holy Spirit is «the Advocate»? The one who steps in and says, «No, this is mine, and I’m going to represent him.» And the Advocate will begin to tell me stuff, and I’ll just say it. And somebody said, «Well, when we look at the numbers and all this other stuff,» and like, «We’ve never done this before.» Do you know how many times I’ve heard, «We’ve never done this before»?
I might get that tattooed on my back. They’ve never done this before! Because when you walk with the Holy Spirit, you have discernment. The reason you can be in places where they’ve never done it before is that the Holy Spirit stands outside of time, looking into 2025 and looking back to 1918, saying, «I’ve designed this exact moment for my kingdom to come through my son or daughter. So I’m going to whisper the things that are going to create a legacy for their children’s children, because I’m a good God, and I leave inheritances.» So now, I need you to speak what I say, but you can’t if you’re emotionally distracted. I have to move on.
Verse 26: When the disciples saw Him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, «It’s a ghost!» But look at our gracious God! Verse 27: But Jesus spoke. God is so good that He will let you label Him something and then reaffirm that that isn’t it; it’s actually Him. He spoke to them at once, «Don’t be afraid; take courage! I am here.» Say that with me: «Don’t be afraid; take courage! Why? I am here!» Say it one more time: «Don’t be afraid; take courage! Why? I am here!» Just one more time: «Don’t be afraid.» This is speaking faith into somebody. Take courage! Why? Because what God says in the deep is more important than what you see in the deep. They still saw a ghost, but they heard what He said. Their emotions hadn’t calmed down enough for them to accurately decipher through the winds and waves that this was God. But God is so good that He’ll still speak to you. And I’m just trying to encourage you: what He says is more important than what you see.
See, the distractions in our lives come to do three things: they come to prey on our emotions, our insecurities, and who’s in control. But look at what Jesus says to their emotions. What if you tell them, «Don’t be afraid; I’ve got your emotions»? Then He speaks to their insecurity, like, «We don’t know if we’re going to make it.» We don’t know who’s going to take courage. Let me encourage you: take courage. Why? Who has the authority to say that? «I am.» He literally said, «I am here.» Now, this doesn’t mean much to you if you don’t understand the Old Testament passage when Moses was commissioned to go out into the deep and tell Pharaoh, «Hey, let my people go!» He said, «I’m slow of speech; I don’t know how to do all this.» And God said, «I will be your Advocate and I’ll tell you what to say. I’ll give you everything you’re supposed to do; you just need to walk out into the deep and not be distracted.» He goes and says, «Who should I say sent me?»
And the response of God to Moses is the same response Jesus gives to these disciples: «I am.» I am that I am! You need peace? I am! You need support? I am! Do you need financial provision? I am! God says, «I’ll be whatever you need whenever you need it.» The problem is they were looking for something natural to be their super. But God says, «I step into your natural and I make your natural supernatural.» And I don’t know who needed to hear this, but everything you’re looking for, «I am» has responded, «I am.» It’s here! Oh, you’re lonely? «I am» is here! «I’ll be your comforter! I’ll teach you not just how to be okay; I’ll teach you how to love yourself. I’ll teach you how to make it hard for someone to come into your situation because, hold on, you’re not coming in here to mess up all the joy and peace that God has given me! You can’t interrupt this river that I found; you’ve got to come and add to this, but you cannot come and subtract from this— not for a little bit!
What God says in the deep is more important than what you see in the deep. Some of you have been seeing the wrong things, and God says, „It doesn’t look like it, but I still said it.“ One of the beautiful things about having a daughter and being a pastor, along with having children, is that now I understand the Bible so much more clearly when it talks about God as Father and having children. One interesting thing with my children is I tell them, „Hey, we’re going to go get you a prize today.“ And for some reason, all throughout the day, they keep asking me, „Are we going to get it? Are we going to the store, Daddy? Where are you going?“
They have this anxiousness about how they maneuver because what they’re seeing doesn’t line up with what I said. What they don’t know is I’ve already transferred money from a different account into the account in preparation for us going to the store. What they don’t know is I’ve already put gas in the car in preparation for us going to the store. What they don’t know is I’ve talked to their mother about the budget we’re going to give them to spend. What they don’t know is that I’m already planning not just for the prize we’re giving them right now, but Mom sent me in to get something that’s going to be out of stock in two weeks, so I can get the next prize that they need.
I’ve already made provisions for them, but what I have said is stronger than what they see. And it reminds me of us, that when we get to the deep, we keep asking God, „Are you sure you chose me? You asked me to be at this church; you asked me to start this business. God, I don’t see You!“ He said, „But I said it!“ And I just want you to know that in the deep, you have to anchor on what God said. There’s a couple in the room right now that every doctor told them they would not be able to have children, but God said to them, „I’m going to make you prosperous, and your womb is going to be blessed.“ They literally have walked through a stormy season where the professionals—oh, I love this because professionals are not the final say—told them there’s no way! But you don’t know! „I am,“ because what God told them they didn’t see, but He said, „I’m staying on this.“
Because somebody is about to give up on what God said just because they don’t see it. But I’m here to shake you in your faith today: God is a man that He should not lie. If He said it, He’s going to complete it! He’s going to do just what He said. If you’ve ever seen God come through, I dare you to take three seconds and give God a shout of praise! Oh, I feel this thing coming right now! He said it; that means I’m going to see it! He said it; that means I’m going to see it! It doesn’t matter that I didn’t get any sleep last night because my son has insomnia! I think that’s why I’m a little on edge today. I slept two hours last night because a side effect of autism is insomnia.
While Pastor Nat’s not here right now, it’s because she’s pregnant. We were up every hour on the hour with MJ last night. And I don’t see it yet, but He said it! He told me when nobody was around: there’s a date I have marked down that the Holy Spirit gave me! I feel this thing! That every time it gets worse, and every time there’s a regression, and every time it doesn’t look like something, and every time he’s not eating—and every time he’s doing—I said, „I don’t see it, but He said it!“ And I dare you somewhere in your mind to get anchored right now: „I don’t see it, but He said it!“ They’re going to ask you, „Why do you keep driving down this neighborhood?“
I don’t see it, but He said it! They’re going to ask you, „Why do you keep believing that your whole family is going to be saved?“ I don’t see it, but He said it! Buddy, they’re going to keep asking you, „Why did you plant the church in the middle of a pandemic?“ I don’t see it, but He said, „Get distracted in the deep by what you see!“ Some of y’all are going to go to a job tomorrow that looks worse than it did a week ago. There are so many people my heart goes out to in Houston, in Dallas, in Texas, and Louisiana, who you’re literally going back to homes that have been ruined by mildew and water and busted pipes. But God told you you were going to be blessed to be a blessing, and He told you that you were going to be the lender and not the borrower. He spoke specifically that this was going to be the year of breakthrough for your family.
And right now, as you look in the rubble and you look at everything, I’m encouraging you to get anchored on what God has said. You may not see it, but He said it. But y’all know these disciples' discernment was off because they were emotionally entangled, so they called God a ghost. And Jesus said, „It’s me! We were just together! You just came off of 21 days of prayer and fasting. You just had a worship experience with me in the car. You just asked me to meet your needs, to meet last week’s bills, and I did it! You forgot who I was! You said that if I got you out of this situation, you would never do that again. And I did that! And you don’t remember?“ You don’t… and so they couldn’t see it.
Verse 28: Then Peter called to him, „Lord, I know you said it and take courage and all that other stuff, but if it’s really you…“ Ain’t that how we are in our walk? God is so good, but if it’s… I know you brought me the job of my dreams, but if this is really you, tell me to come to you and walk on the water. This is always very interesting to me in this context because he says, „Lord…“ That means that somewhere in him, either what he saw or what was said made him realize that this can’t just be Jerome walking on the water; that’s not my cousin Rome. This has to be Jesus. However, he wasn’t sure enough to put his weight on it; he wasn’t sure enough to drop his anchor on it. Sometimes, this tells me, and it serves as encouragement for me because I’m human, and sometimes my doubt gets in the way of destiny. Sometimes I know it’s God, but I’m not entirely sure it is. His language declared what his heart doubted: „Lord, if it’s you, we worship you.“
But this is a different situation. „God, I trust you, but are you really going to make a way?“ This is why we need God; this is why we go back to the Word. Sometimes our language declares what our heart actually doubts, and Jesus is so gracious. He says, „Yes, come!“ Now, I have to pause for a second. I’m not going to preach this, but I need to let you know that there were 12 disciples in the boat. Peter literally says, „If it’s really you, tell me to come walking on the water.“ Jesus doesn’t say, „Peter, come,“ or „You come.“ He simply says, „Yes, come.“
That was an invitation to everyone else in the boat—a chance to do something nobody has ever done. But they did not have the faith to trust what Jesus just said. The saddest part of this story is that we could be talking about a story of 12 men, a community of people, a small group walking on water together. I don’t know about you, but I need friends who can walk on water with me. I need people who say, „You own that block; I own this block; they own that block.“ I need people who can say, „Where are we going on vacation? Let’s buy the whole island, and we’re going to bless people.“ I need people who can do the unthinkable with me. I’m not out here just trailblazing and representing alone; I need a squad with me so we can walk into a depressed area of town and fix that house, that house, that house, and that house.
And next year, we’re going to do that house! Part of the problem with this scripture is that there were scared saints in the boat. You’re already in the deep; you’re already out here. I need some saints to get that 2000! I ain’t never scared! I ain’t never scared! I ain’t nervous! I need people in my community who say, „The Spirit Big Event Center, let’s go!“ I ain’t never scared about buying a whole complex outside of here for 21 million dollars! I ain’t never scared! Let’s go! I can’t even tell you what we’re going to do next, but I bet you I have a bunch of riders in the room with me and a bunch of writers online right now who say, „I ain’t never scared!“ Jesus said, „Come,“ and only one got up.
Why is it important that you start leading a small group? Because Peter could have very easily stepped out of the boat and said, „Y’all come on!“ He could have used their relational equity. „Y’all know we’ve seen Jesus do stuff like this before; don’t miss out on this opportunity! I know your marriage is on the brink, but I’ve seen God restore marriages before. I know your children are out there, but I’ve seen God do it before. Come!“ Because there were scared saints in the deep, they missed the miracle. What miracle will you miss because you stay on the boat? He says, „Yes, come,“ so Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water towards Jesus.
Can we stop and give Peter a hand clap? No, y’all! Peter gets a bad rap. Y’all always skip to when he starts sinking, but Peter actually walked! Come on now! You’ve never done anything great, so at least give him some credit. Let’s not hate on people when they fall; they at least tried something. You’re on the boat, scared. Yes, he sank, but he walked on the water! Such haters! He tried! He went over the side of the boat. All I’m saying to you right now in this society of critics is that critics sit on the sideline and judge something they’ve never experienced. It’s way easier to be a commentator than to actually be in the NBA. You can’t jump from here to there, but you have something to say about the way they dribble, the way they shoot, and the way they play in the NBA. You have something to say about their marriage?
They’re married! Yeah, they might need counseling. Yeah, they went through a hard time, but we have to stop highlighting people’s worst moments as summing up who they are. They might be there because they took a step of faith. You were scared too! I deal with different problems today because I stepped out of the boat. See, you’re dealing with shallow situations because you never stepped out into the deep. But some of the issues I face right now, I would have never faced if I didn’t walk by faith. Church, all I’m saying is our criticisms must decrease, especially if we’ve never been in that level of water. You’re in the kiddie pool talking about people who carry more weight in their swim trunks than you do all year.
Guys, we have to make sure that our words are edifying and encouraging. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of the mouth except that which is edifying to the hearer. Could we be a church where some of the people we think are supposed to be cheering for us are actually distractions in the deep because you’ve never stepped out of the boat? So today, I want to give out a Peter Award. I’ve never heard a pastor give a Peter Award. The Bible says, „So Peter went over the side of the boat, and he walked on the water.“ Find me one other person in history who defied the laws of gravity and buoyancy and actually walked on water. All I’m saying is maybe his failure was not the key point that we should highlight.
Some of you need to return to your friends and family members. I know it’s hard because it takes humility to do this, and they might be in a season right now that looks really bad. You could blow up and expose them, but what God is saying to you is maybe you should remind them that they actually walked on water. What would have happened if the disciples said, „No, bro, you did it! You can do it again. Keep looking at Jesus; there’s more for you. I saw you take three steps! I know you’re sinking now, but you can make it.“ What if the disciples did this? Here’s what I found out, guys. This is revelation. Do y’all want me to stop? Can I have a few more minutes?
Okay, I just have to get this last part out. Okay, Peter walked on water towards Jesus, and this made me contemplate the steps of faith I’ve had to take over the boat. Literally, all I can say is we’re out here. Oh my gosh, what’s going to happen next Sunday? I don’t know. We’re out here! How are you going to follow up walking on the water? I have no clue! We’re out here! I’m like, there are no backup plans. We are out here! That’s why we need our discernment. But what I’ve found as I’ve stepped over the boat is that you are most vulnerable when you’re out there, but it’s not done. The most vulnerable part of distraction is when you’ve done it, but it’s not done.
Okay, the most vulnerable part of distraction is when you’re doing it. I walked on water, but I’m not done making it to Jesus. This is where distraction really comes in. Many of us have already done the things and gotten to the places we prayed to get to. We did it, but it’s not done. This is where distraction comes in at its finest. Peter walks on the water just like many of you have done things that nobody thought you would be able to do. This is progression, or like what I like to call, purpose in process. Peter did it; he might have been like, „Ah!“ but Jesus is still over there! So he did what nobody did, but it’s still not done. The same way you got the money, but you haven’t learned how to manage it.
So you did it, but it’s not done. You got the marriage, but now you have to cultivate it. You did it! I’m married, and we can have sex with no guilt and no condemnation. Let me clean that up! But now, I want you to see: you did it, but it’s not done. For it to get done, you need focus. Write that word down; it’s a cuss word for many of you, I know—focus. You lead the team now; you’ve got the title of director, but now you need to grow them into leaders. It’s not done! Now you can post on your Instagram that you wrote a book, but you did it; now you have to sell the book. You’re not done! And I just came to tell somebody who’s shouting over getting on the water that wasn’t the goal.
The goal wasn’t to stand on water; the goal was to make it to Jesus! The goal is not to have the best church in the world. We’ve done everything that I’ve ever put on paper as we’ve stepped over the boat in six years, and God said, „Michael, guess what? Six years! What a time to be alive!“ That wasn’t the goal! You are in the deep, and now you’re going to need focus to make it to me. But when Peter (verse 30) saw the strong winds and the waves and the haters and the people in his family that didn’t support him, and the other Instagram posts, and somebody else’s life that looked more content, he was terrified, and he began to sink. „Save me, Lord!“ he shouted.
Now this one messes me up because this is the same Peter that’s been with Jesus. Write this point down because this is for you: don’t be so distracted that you draw a blank. He’s been a deliverer. Peter steps out of the boat, starts walking towards Jesus, and then sees distractions and forgets who told him to get out of the boat. Did you forget who called you to lead that team? You know you’re not qualified, right? Did you forget who called you to be in that relationship? Do you forget he’s been a deliverer? See, this is why I love the Bible! We’re in Matthew chapter 14. Do y’all remember that six chapters ago, in chapter 8, the disciples were in a different storm? Jesus was sleeping on the boat, and they woke him up and said, „Yo, why are you tripping? Peace, be still!“
Jesus! I never saw it until now! Peter’s tripping, but Jesus had already gotten them through the same exact type of storm. And in that moment, when he lost focus, he forgot and drew a blank, forgetting he was standing with his deliverer! My question to you is: have you had Christian amnesia and forgotten all the times that God has brought you through before? He’s been a deliverer! The reason I put that little „He’s been a deliverer“ is because I feel like God sometimes is like, „Y’all put some respect on my name!“ He has a little Birdman moment where he says, „You better put some respect.“
I’ve been a deliverer! How old are you? Do you know that the enemy had his arrows aimed at you when you were 10 years old? I’ve kept you and sustained you! You wouldn’t have even gotten into that college if I hadn’t allowed that person to come and tell you about that scholarship. That was Me! Put some respect on my name! You thought you saved yourself from that car accident, but it was warring and ministering angels that intervened, moving people out of the way because there was a destiny I had on your life! Put some respect on my name! You thought you are in the city and the place you’re in right now by accident? I moved heaven and earth to get you to where I wanted you to be. You thought that it was an accident you are watching today? This was my favor and grace on your life! I’ve been a deliverer! Somebody say He’s been a deliverer! Say it like you mean it!
2 Samuel 22 says, „And he said, The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. The God of my rock, in Him will I trust. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge, my Savior that will always save me from violence.“ Psalms 18:2 says, „The Lord is my rock and my fortress.“ I’m just saying this because somebody needs to know that He’s been a deliverer. He is my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust. My buckler and my horn! If God is your buckler, you better know—buckle up! He’s your salvation and your high tower! Psalms 27 says, „Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but I will remember and trust in the name of our God.“
Can I say it differently? Some trust in Teslas, and some trust in Beamers, Bentleys, but I will trust in the name of the Lord! He’s saying people trust in the transportation to get them to a destination. Do y’all see? Back in the day, it was horses and chariots. You trust in the vehicle, and some of y’all have been trusting in your jobs, trusting in your relationships, trusting in the stock market, trusting in the S&P 500, trusting in Bitcoin. Some of you are like, „Bitcoin? What is that? Is that a Pokémon thing?“
Just stay with me! Some of you have been trusting in pop culture, different things that you can do with your hands, and God says some trust in all that, but the thing I’m asking you to trust in is the One who’s been a deliverer. Somebody just say it one more time: God’s been a deliverer! He did it for him in verse and chapter eight, and now we’re in chapter 14, and he loses his cool. He saw the strong winds and the waves; he was terrified and began to shout, „Save me, Lord!“ I wasn’t going to put this point in here, but I just feel like somebody needs to hear this. Our church is built to cater to the lost and found, so my lost people may not think much about this, but there are some found people who have been blaming a certain person in their life. He is bad, but everything is not his fault.
Distractions in the deep aren’t always the devil. I know, I know—some of you say that was the devil that caused my disappointment. No, you woke up late; that wasn’t the devil. You’re lazy! It’s the devil I didn’t get that promotion! No, your presentation was trash. You spent more time on Instagram trying to get 32 likes than working on the presentation that would actually change your bank account. It wasn’t the devil; you were distracted. The devil is not mentioned anywhere in this scripture. Go back and look; it didn’t say, „And the devil brought wind.“
Jesus is the One who sent them to the lake, and He sent them to the lake while He went to pray for them. I need you to hear me say this: Jesus knew the storm you were going into, so He made intercession for you. They were out on the sea, and Jesus went to pray by Himself because He knew they would need Him. He gets into a supernatural state and begins to defy the law of buoyancy, walking on water to meet them at the point of their need. The reason He meets them there is that He set it up. What if the thing you’ve been saying is the devil was a setup? Some of the worst things in my life were not the devil; they were set up by God to get something in me and get something out of me that could come out no other way.
I’ve told you all several times about my horrible story with the contractor trying to build a home and trying to do all of these different things. He left me, my wife, and our brand-new baby in a home in winter—like we just had—with no heat. He took our money, and we had to pay him extra. We had to lean on our house for four years. But when I look back at that situation now, God has orchestrated me, in the five years after that, to be the person at the table negotiating over 40 million dollars' worth of real estate on behalf of Transfer. That was a hundred and fifty thousand dollar fail so that I could learn a fifty million dollar future. It was a setup. I had to make sure I knew how to read through contracts and ask questions, and God knew that He was going to be my anchor through that whole thing.
So He said, „He can take this one because I set it up for him and I’ve been praying for him. I’m not gonna leave him out there by himself; I’m gonna come and speak to him.“ The day before—the week before—I became the lead pastor of Transformation Church, the week before God resolved that situation because my parents came into a little money and were able to give me the funds to settle that lien. God didn’t allow me to walk into pastoring with that scar, but He said, „You needed the experience.“ It wasn’t the devil; it was for my development. The truth of the matter is, when God’s trying to develop us, many of us are distracted in the deep. I don’t know what your distraction is today; it could be other people, it could be your own self-talk, it could be not focusing on the Word of God. But there are distractions that aren’t the devil, and this is what happened to Peter: write this down—distractions drown you when vision drifts.
The reason why this is our vision series and I’ve spent seven weeks talking about it is because, well, Pastor Mike, you talk about this, you talk about that. It doesn’t matter what we talk about if we are off course! If we’re one degree off, by the time we get to the end of 2022, do you know what could happen? We’re only two months into this thing. We got Capitol riots, we got Gorilla Glue Girl, we got all kinds of stuff. Do you know what could happen? But it doesn’t matter if we are angry. That’s how some of y’all are going to look at the end of this year. I’m gonna need surgery if you get to… but do you all know that whole thing? I don’t mean to preach this at all; it’s a very sad thing. But the reason that happened is, she had the right thing there and ran out of it, and she didn’t focus on what she was picking up to use—her vision.
She drowned! She hurt herself, and she was one who actually experienced very bad consequences—not because she was a bad person, but because she thought, „This is something that helps.“ She didn’t focus on what it was and what it said and what it was actually used for, and she drowned because her vision drifted. What are you saying, Pastor Mike? Fix your focus! Hebrews 12:1—that’s all I’m asking you to do. How do we stay anchored? We fix our focus. Therefore, since we’ve been surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us—that’s every distraction. I want you to hear me say this: we’re not even talking about sin yet—sin comes. It says literally, „Throw off everything,“ or every distraction that hinders us, „and the sin.“
You can drift or drown because of a distraction—not even a sin. Is this sin? No, it’s not sin for you to eat 50 Oreos before you go to sleep—but let me stop there. You are distracted, and then you will be praying for a miracle five years from now that never had to be a miracle if you had developed fixed focus in this season of being anchored. It says don’t be thrown off by everything that hinders you and the sin that easily entangles us. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us—the course God has set for us. We can’t go off one degree! If you go off one degree, even in a relay race, as the last runner—the anchor, as my sister put it in her poem—the last person is the anchor, and they can run and run, but what happens if they’re one degree off? They get in somebody else’s lane, and what are they? Disqualified. Fixing our eyes on Jesus—not Pastor Mike.
I’m so glad that you listen to me every morning, but if this is your substitute for the Word of God and devotion, and actually making time for Him, I am a poor substitute. Baby, I am Capri Sun, and you need V8! Do you understand what I’m saying? You need something that can sustain you. All I’m doing is pointing you to the natural resource. I’m only pointing you to Him. But I’m telling you to fix your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. You always move in the direction of your focus. You always do.
Can I say it like this? Your favorable future or your ferocious failure are in the direction of your focus. You decide your favorable future—the thing that God has for you, the thing where everything is working out—as well as your ferocious failure, that thing that you feel like you can never come back from, are in the direction of your focus. Keep the camera right here! I’m looking—uh-uh, don’t follow me! You go back to where you’re supposed to go. See, because the problem is I’m looking at a camera; I’m directly focused on the wrong thing. Some of you right now, you come here, right over here! Yeah, yeah, come on now!
Now pan to her; show them what I’m looking at! The whole time, I’m looking directly at a camera, and now I’m looking at this camera, and now I’m looking at this camera, and it feels like I’m in purpose because I’m looking at cameras; they can see me! But I’m looking at the wrong camera! It doesn’t matter if you’re focused, if you’re focused on the wrong thing. I, along with Transformation Church, have made a decision to drop our anchor and fix our focus on Jesus. If you’re gonna fix your focus on Jesus, why don’t you give Him a shout of praise in this place? Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed Peter. „Peter, you have such little faith! Why do you doubt me?“
I did it with feeding the five thousand; I did it for you in verse eight. I’ve been a deliverer, bro—put some respect on my name! But God, in His grace, is so good to us that when we don’t deserve it, He still does it. What I’m trying to tell somebody who feels like they’re drowning right now is, Peter was a disciple and drowned. You’re okay! I know you’ve never been in this place before, and you never thought you would be begging for this. You never thought you would have to start over like this, and it feels like everything around you is caving in on you, and you’re drowning. But if someone whom Jesus chose to walk with Him drowned at one point in their life and God saved them, you’re gonna be okay!
I just want to be the face of faith for you because some people that are on the other side of this screen right now—your discernment has been off for a long time, and you’ve drifted not just one degree, but maybe ten, fifteen, twenty degrees off, and you feel like it’s hopeless, and you’re literally drowning! And God sent me to tell you, you’ve just been distracted in the deep. But if you would allow me, I’ll reach out, and I’ll grab your hands and take you to safety. Write this last point down: with God, the doubt won’t drown you. He literally says, „Why do you have so much little doubt?“ The doubt didn’t leave when God saved them. There are still areas of our life where we want to have crazy faith, but sometimes it takes us drowning and God saving us for us to realize, „Oh, He still loves me, even with the questions, even with the fear, even with the failure!“
With God, the doubt won’t drown you. When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. The disciples worshiped, „You really are the Son of God!“ they exclaimed. I want you to realize, no matter what you’re facing, when Jesus is with you, every element in your atmosphere has to change. In chapter eight, Jesus spoke to the winds and the waves. Did y’all see it? Right here, when He climbed back into the boat, the wind just stopped! As God walks in the authority that He has been given in your life, your only response is to do what the disciples did: worship! I’m just going to worship God. I’m going to worship Him because He saved me. I’m going to worship Him because He stopped the wind.
This is the thing I think аbout: the disciples were still in the storm even though they weren’t on the water. When Jesus steps on the boat, the storm stops. What I’m saying is, if you’re walking on water or you’re just in the deep, God’s saying, „I’ll take care of the storm; I’ll take care of the wind. You take care of the worship!“ „I’ll take care of the wind; you take care of the worship.“ That’s a song, y’all! „You take care of the wind"—that’s my new confession. Now the storms are coming, God; You take care of the wind, but I’ll take care of the worship. Father, you won’t have to pump and prime me to give You glory, to give You praise because You’ve sustained me. You take care of the wind, God, and I’ll take care of the worship.
Today, at the end of this series, how we’re going to be anchored and how we’re going to be sustained is knowing our anchor is still Jesus. It’s still Him! I feel, I feel, I feel a worship coming over everybody! Hands lifted everywhere! Come on, if you’re somewhere you can stand up, why don’t you stand up right now? I feel like this—we’re deciding that we’re gonna drop our anchor! God, You take care of the wind; I’ll take care of the worship! Right now, I want you to lift your voice, and I want you to praise God. I want you to give Him thanks! I want you to sing unto Him a new song! I want you to begin to call Him who He is: He’s a provider; He’s good! I know some of y’all, this may seem weird, but when we worship God, we use our lives, our words, our hands to express our love to Him.
God, thank You for being good. Thank You for sustaining us. Thank You for being committed to us when we weren’t committed to You. Thank You for not letting us drown. Thank You, Father, that You would continue to pick us up. Father God, right now, You take care of the wind, but we’re going to take care of the worship! Come on, lift it up right now! Somebody say, «You sustain!» Come on, lift it up! Lift your worship up! God, I trust You in the middle of the storm! God, I trust You! God, I have to worship! I have to worship! God, You’re going to take care of the marriage; You’re going to take care of the finances! I have to worship! You sustain me through everything! Father God, we will be anchored on You, God. Come on in Your home, in Your house.
Lift Your hands. Teach Your kids how to worship through the storm. Come on, come on, let’s declare it: Your promises always come true. Say, «Your promise is always good. You’re a good God. You save us when we give You worship. We’re trusting You, God. You’re our strong power.» God, You take care of the wind, and I’ll take care of the worst. He said, «I will,» so I will say, «I will trust You.» That’s the statement of being anchored. Somebody just say, «I will trust You.» Say, «I will.» Hey, You’ve got the win; You’ve got the marriage; You’ve got the problems. I’ve got to worship. Somebody say, «You’ve got this, church. You’ve got my son; You’ve got my wife.» Come on, tell God, «I’ve got to worship!»
All the discrimination I’ve been feeling, all the social unrest, I’m going to worship You through it right now. Somebody say, «Oh, I feel the presence of God. Somebody’s getting their worship back!» You can’t control the wind, but the anchor can, so I want you to worship. Some of y’all needed this moment all week. Somebody just begin to praise Him right now. Something’s shifting; something’s changing. It’s changing in your home; it’s changing in your mind; it’s changing in your emotions. Let’s lift this thing up one time. Come on, somebody, declare faith: «I will trust You, safe.» Woo! Somebody’s dropping their anchor on the Word of God. Somebody declare, «No matter who comes and who goes, God, I’m saying I’ll trust You.»
Safe all over the world, lift your hands. Say, «You sustain, God.» Just one more time, just sing that. We’ve got the worship, God; we’ve got it, God. Here we are. No matter what’s going on, no matter how I’m feeling in the morning; excuse me, no matter if my jaw turns around, no matter if the water is the ground, You’ve had me since I was born. So right now, God, in the middle of everything, I’m trusting You. Your promises always come true. Just sing that one more time, y’all. It’s ministering to me. «You’re a good, good Father; it’s who You are.» This is the thing you needed. I can’t control the winds and the waves, but I can control my focus, and I’m focusing on Jesus. God, You’re going to take care of it. I’ve got to worship. Say, «You’re a good, good…» He’s reaching out right now; He’s reaching out right now.
So listen, the only thing that I can offer you now — it’s not a good sermon, not a good illustration. I can only offer you the anchor. His name is Jesus. That’s how we’re going to make it through every storm, y’all. I’m not promising you a stormless 2021; I’m promising you an anchor in Jesus. And how do we sustain? We fix our eyes on Him, we get into good community, we keep showing up for church, we serve people, we give, we love, we become more like Him. But you can’t do that without Him. There are so many people trying to manifest things that God freely gives. Why are you manifesting something that comes with salvation? All you have to do is acknowledge you’re no longer in control, that Jesus has already won the victory for you.
And today, I want to give you that opportunity. It’s the greatest decision I ever made. It’s the thing that took me from being a liar, a manipulator, addicted to pornography, somebody who had so much darkness in their heart, so many images, so emotionally distracted. I’m not a perfect man; I’m not a perfect man, but I’m a progressing man, a man that hears from God and allows His discernment to override his desires. Today, I want to offer that to you. All you have to do is not what religious people tell you to do: stop smoking, stop drinking, stop doing this. Like, if you could have done it, you would have already stopped doing it. You knew it was bad when you started it. You know lying and all that other stuff — our nature knows it. The problem is we don’t have in our nature the ability to do this without God.
And so today, I’m offering you a free gift; it’s the gift of grace. You can’t earn it; you don’t deserve it; it’s unmerited. It’s not because of how much money you have or who your family is, and if you know the pastor or the leader — it’s none of that. It’s because God cares so much that 2,000 years ago, He went to the cross, and He decided, «My children in 2021 are going to need Me, and they’re going to deny Me, and they’re going to act like they can do it without Me. But they’re going to come to the end of the rope, and they’re going to feel like they’re drowning, and then I’m going to be their anchor.»
And today, along with hundreds, if not thousands, of other people, I want to lead you in a prayer that changes everything. According to Romans 10:9, it says all you have to do is not confess everything you’ve done. That’s not what you do. You don’t go to the hospital and fix yourself. You come there because you need help. And Jesus says, «Today, I’ll help you. If you give your life to Me, I’ll help you fix your habits.» And today, on the count of three, we’re about to pray. But if you want to be added into that prayer, are you saying, «Pastor, today I want to give my life to Jesus. I want to confess that He lived and He died just for me, and today I’m giving control over to Him?»
If you want to do that, I’m telling you hundreds, if not thousands, of other people are doing it right now. And then there are going to be hundreds every day that this message goes out on rebroadcast, that are going to do the same thing. The Holy Spirit stands outside of time; it’s as real at this moment as it is in that moment right there that you’re standing in. If you’re saying, «Pastor, include me in that prayer,» on the count of three, I just want you to slip your hand up wherever you are. Forget about who’s with you; forget about who’s around.
If you’re in a public coffee shop, it doesn’t matter; they won’t stand with you before God. This will be a decision between you and God, and this decision causes you not to drift. One, you’re making the greatest decision of your life; two, I’m so proud of you, but that doesn’t even matter, because your name is going to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life; three, shoot your hand up all over the world. Come on, somebody, shoot your hand up. There are hands going up all over the world right now. Will you say this prayer with me? And Transformation Nation, because Church Imagination, you know we don’t pray alone; we’re praying together for the benefit of those coming to Christ. Everybody say:
Lord, thank You for being my anchor. Today, I know I’m here because You sustained me. So today, I’m giving You my life. I believe You lived, You died, and You rose again just for me. So change me, renew me, transform me. I’m Yours. I’m anchored in Jesus' name. Amen.