Michael Todd - Show Me The MOtive
Today, we are in week two of a series we’re calling «More Money, More Help, More Money, More Power.» We learned last week that this statement is often confessed and believed by people who have bought into the poverty gospel, which suggests that having more money somehow equals more problems. That’s one extreme. On the other end, there’s a group of people who believe that when you have more money, it means more pleasure. These individuals have bought into the prosperity gospel. Neither of these extremes—the poverty gospel or the prosperity gospel—are from God; they are both harmful, trapping people in this country and others outside of the kingdom of God.
What you need to support and base the principles of your life on is the gospel of—everybody shout it out—purpose! More money, more purpose! When I have more money and my instructions are coming from God, then every dollar and dime I have can be used for God’s purpose. If God tells me to go to Starbucks and pay for the five people behind me, my money now has purpose. You will never know, watch this, the purpose of what God wants you to do because on this side of heaven, you will never see the full impact. People often hesitate to use their resources unless they can feel the impact. Y’all know it’s true; that’s why you won’t give presents to people unless you’re there to watch them open them. «Well, you want me to open it now?» «No, no, open it right now!» You know how much I spent? «No, no, just open it whenever you feel like it.» And they’d be faking when they say, «No, I’ll just open it later,» and you know they’re really hoping to see that moment. Why? Because we want to see the impact of our resources.
In the kingdom of God, God gives your money purpose that you won’t see the full perspective of until you get to heaven. This is why it actually takes faith when you give, because you won’t see how it impacts everything. Your ten-dollar gift to a person at the gas station could be the confirmation that brings them back to their marriage! You have no idea what your small obedience can produce. And here’s the great thing: you don’t need to know what it produces because it’s not faith if it’s a guarantee. Everybody would give if they knew exactly what it would produce, but God says that doesn’t take faith; that just takes facts. But the just shall live by faith!
You cannot live by faith and know all the facts. This is why when we talk about tithing and giving generously, people say, «That doesn’t work for me.» The truth is, you don’t know it works because you haven’t consistently done it—just like your two trips to the gym a month aren’t working. Let me tell you: nobody will tell you; that person just swiping your card at the gym is wrong for that. They should hand you your card back and say, «It’s on us today,» because it’s not going to work if you haven’t done it consistently enough to receive the results God wants to bring to your life.
In this series, I have two jobs: to break the generational cycles of poverty that affect so many people’s lives. All right, we’re a humble, open, and transparent church. If you have felt the weights of poverty on your life, I want you to lift your hands right now. Thank you for being honest. We’re a humble, open, and transparent church. You cannot get blessed by faking it. So, if you’re in the chat, throw those hands up! If you have suffered from this «more money, more pleasure» concept, lift your hands right now! Some of y’all have been hustling and grinding! My prayer is that we would break the generational cycles of poverty as well as the generational cycles of selfishness. This means I’m going to have to fight you during this series—not you, but the spirits that are controlling you.
The spirit of mammon says that if I have money, I don’t need God. The spirit of greed is okay as long as you have more than others. How many shoes are enough? How many cars do you need? Y’all have a two-car garage but five cars! Do you know the storage industry is big business—billions of dollars are spent on storing stuff we don’t have room for? And dare someone to take anything from your storage! You’ll fight over a pair of shoes you haven’t been able to fit in for 30 years! Why? Because it’s mine! It was supposed to belong to someone else decades ago. Many of us are sitting on stolen merchandise; we bought it, but it’s been for somebody else. God is watching how we steward what we have.
You could bless someone’s entire life by just cleaning out the things you’re sick of maintaining. You don’t even like scrubbing! You have five comforter sets, but you don’t invite anyone over! Let me stop here; I might be making too much sense. Why are you saving five comforters that are ugly, when nobody even wants to sleep under them? The truth is, you haven’t invited anyone to your house in years, so you’re hoarding instead of helping. God is saying there are people praying for what you have in excess. How many winter coats do you need?
When God wants to trust us with more resources, He looks at how responsibly we’ve handled what we already have. If we don’t learn about stewardship and generosity, we handcuff ourselves to a season of having less, because God knows more for you means more only for you. God wants people who have a heart like His—a heart that is generous, a heart that says, «You can have it off my back if God tells me.»
Do y’all know that at some point, the spirit of generosity takes over you, where it’s not something you have to obey, it’s something you just do? I don’t have to pray to give people the money in my pocket. «Well, you know, you’re hungry; let me pray about that…Lord, now you know I was going to the buffet after this, but I just want to confirm.» The Bible is clear; it literally says, «When you pray, when you fast"—not «if.» So many believers are waiting for a sign from God to do what should be habitual.
But it can’t be a habit if you don’t start! So in this series, I want you to start a new habit: the habit of generosity. I’m challenging everyone this week to perform three random acts of kindness—not looking for any applause for your generosity. God sees what you do and if you start this practice, it will become a habit. Once it becomes a habit, it will invade your home, and when it invades your home, everything around you will be blessed. This series is about you having a blessed life. Somebody shout «blessed life!»
I want you to have a blessed life. This whole concept came from a book I read; I actually have it right here. It’s called «The Blessed Life: Unlocking the Rewards of Generous Living» by Robert Morris. This little book—look, I know some of y’all might want to see how thick it is; it doesn’t matter. If it has principles to change my life, I need to read it! Y’all need to stop binging Netflix as much as you do without getting things in you that will actually transform your life. Another seven-week series that didn’t change you? This will change you!
In the chat, if you want «The Blessed Life,» I’m giving away ten copies right now! Somebody type, «I want to live a blessed life!» I need the team to find some people. I’ve got three copies right here. Who wants one? Come here, my dude. I got you! Your blessed life right here. Come on! I need someone on this side—oh, I saw your hand. Come on, go give that to the one standing right there! Not you; sit down. The one behind you! All right, do I need one more? Come here! All right, here you go.
Listen, this week on Instagram, I’ll give away ten more copies. Why? I don’t want to just sow a monetary seed; I want to show a seed of knowledge. Knowledge is more important and valuable than money. If you apply the knowledge, it turns into something crazy—wisdom. And once you get wisdom, it changes everything in your life. I’m telling you, Transformation Nation, required reading here is the Bible and «The Blessed Life.»
What I love about our church is that we decided to be a multi-generational church. Our amazing team at TC Kids has created a book for your kids to read, and it’s even thinner than the one you need to read. Some adults need to start with this one. What would have happened if someone had sat down with you at ages 3, 5, 9, 10, or 15 and taught you how to tithe, give, save, and spend? I want every parent to go to the website and download this; it’s super simple. Make a deposit in the generations of your family. This says «Generous Families.» We intentionally didn’t call it «Generous Kids,» because you cannot thrive in a generous season of your life with a poverty-minded family; it snuffs it out of you.
I want us to live in generosity. So go download this so we can have generous and blessed kids. Somebody say, «I’m going to live a blessed life!» I’m not done yet. I told the team we need to figure out a way to practically help our church get out of debt. The truth is, we can yell «blessed life,» talk about tithing and other things, but if you keep swiping or if you’re so deep in debt, much of it comes down to knowledge. So as a church, because of the generosity of Transformation Church, we called the people over at Ramsey Solutions and we purchased the entire series.
I love this! This just makes me feel great because I remember when I went through this. I remember trying to get out of debt, doing the debt snowball, and all of that. It’s not for everyone, but there are people in this community who need practical knowledge and wisdom on how to get out of debt. We’ve partnered with Dave Ramsey Solutions, and for one year, everyone who is part of Transformation Nation has access to the complete series!
Y’all don’t hear me! We have given you the entire resources that Dave Ramsey has—a hundred and twenty-nine dollars per person. We have now partnered with them to give it to everybody in Transformation Nation for…wait for it…free! Y’all aren’t even praising with me! Listen, we want to help you gain knowledge and wisdom and teach your families. We’ve paid for everyone in Transformation Nation to have one year of access!
You’re talking about changing the community! You’re talking about changing generational patterns or cycles! Why would I choose the car? No, you need knowledge! So all I need you to do is go to transformationchurch.us, select Ramsey+, fill out the form, claim your access, and this is the part they didn’t put up there: watch the videos and do the work or you’re a bad investment! I just got to say it as it is. Some of y’all might be thinking, «Well, God, if you would…»
He took the cost away from you, but you still have to do the work because faith without works is…what? You’ll be in the same place next year unless you fully lean into what God wants you to have. When you learn about finances, you’ll have more money, and more purpose! Somebody give God some praise right there! So this is not a gimmick; it’s not a sham. We know some people who don’t go to Transformation Church, but if you’re part of Transformation Nation, you can use the code too.
I’m even generous with this! Some people will try to bootleg this, and I’d rather you steal these principles and let God do a work in your heart. Share it with everyone! Why am I saying this, Pastor Mike? Because if you ever learn how to live a blessed life and steward what God has given you, there’s no reserve on what God will trust you with because He knows He has your heart!
So, this is what I need to talk about today of people are shouting after last week, «More money, more purpose!» Lord, I haven’t seen the Instagram memes, and I’ve seen everybody doing this. I found one that really had me laughing. It was one that somebody put on—y’all remember «Jerry Maguire»? It was an old movie; some of y’all are too young for that. But there’s a part where Cuba Gooding Jr. is without a shirt on, and he’s an athlete sitting and talking to an agent. He delivers these iconic lines. Y’all remember what he said? He said, «Show me the money!» Then he says, «Jerry, I want you to say it.» And Jerry’s like, «Show me the money!» He said, «No, baby, you gotta say it like you mean it! Show me the money!» Everybody say, «Show me the money!» Say it with your chest; say it like someone is about to give you a million dollars!
He began to say, «Show me the money,» and it’s kind of the heart posture many of us take when we start doing things the right way regarding finances. It’s like, «God, I’m doing what you’re telling me to do! I’m tithing, giving to people, doing random acts of kindness, so God, show me the money.» Say it with me, «God, show me the money.» Somebody say it one more time, «Show me the money!» And I heard God say back to us, «Show me the motive.» When you say, «Show me the money,» God will automatically respond, «Show me the motive.» I have no problem giving you the money, but you’re going to have to show me what’s in your heart. You’re going to have to expose to me; I cannot give you this level of clearance to these resources if I do not know what’s in the depository of your heart. So if you want to be bold and believe God for millions and billions and all that other stuff, when you say, «Show me the money,» He’s going to ask you a question: «Show me the motive.»
Today, I want to teach about the motive of our hearts when it comes to finances and resources, because if the motive is not right, the money never will be. If the motive is not right, the money never will be. That’s why we’ve got three more weeks in this series—and I really want to push it. One of the things God has told me is, «Michael, if my people ever get the right motive around money—the right heart posture around money—there is nothing I will withhold from them.» I began to think; He said, «Think about your kids. When Bella does the right thing with what you gave her, you trust her with more. And when she does the right thing with that, you trust her with more.»
One thing I do with my kids is I expose them to money. When we were giving them our Crazy Faith offering, there are certain things I do. I’m not saying everybody has to do this, but there are things I do to expose my kids to money. One thing I did is I went and got five thousand dollars for the Crazy Faith offering, so my kids could give it. They didn’t give it; I gave it, but I made them the beneficiaries of being able to direct resources. At seven, four, and G wasn’t even born—the three kids—because I wanted to show them the motive around money first before they got an idea from the world.
So I sat them at our table and gave each of them a thousand dollars, putting it on the table. Jay is my witness—am I telling you the truth, Jay? I sat there and gave them a thousand dollars each, and my children said, «We’re rich!» Ava started throwing it up in the air, and Ava—see, y’all pray for Ava. Bella was looking at it; she’s my child, and wanted to make sure it was a thousand dollars. So she asked me, «Daddy, how many hundreds equal a thousand dollars?» I said, «Ten.» She counted, «One, two, three.» That’s Bella. MJ didn’t care about the money; Gia did. I’m doing this, and they said, «What are we doing with this money, Dad?» I said, «God’s challenged our family to give to the Kingdom of God.»
Ava said, «I don’t want to give to the Kingdom of God.» It’s my baby still teaching, and Bella said—this is what Bella said—all of it! Now, these are children, but they’re not too far from the responses. All of it! This is what I said to her: «You don’t have to give all of it.» But then I began to explain to her how good God has been to us. I said, «It’s all about what you want to do, but God just wants to know there’s generosity in your heart.» By the end of it, Ava gave 400 dollars; she didn’t give all of it. Bella gave all of it. Bella is also the daughter who went on a fast with us this year. Bella has just a little more understanding of what’s going on because she was born into a household where generosity exists—even when Mom and Dad are still learning certain things.
When we expose our kids to this, we need to expose them to motive more than we need to expose them to money. Motive is more important than money. Motive is more important than making monumental moves. Motive is the greatest thing because it’s the only thing nobody can take from you. Can nobody take your motive? They can misinterpret it, but they cannot tell you what your motive was. You’re the only one who can say, «No, I meant for it to land like this. My motive was pure.» Do you know that God chooses and uses based on motive? Yes, we see it in David’s life, we see it in Saul’s life, and we see it in Abraham’s life. God says, «Yeah, not them, them.» Why? Because they have my heart.
So today, as many people by the end of this series are going to feel comfortable about their level of understanding in the area of generosity and stewardship, as we begin to shout, «Show me the money!» God’s going to continue to say to you, and guess what, this doesn’t change when you get older. You can have tons of businesses, tons of investments, and God’s still going to say, «Show me the motive.» Because the only reason you want that is to buy another boat to fill your insecurities when you go to the lake with your family in the summer. What is the motive? And I just have to help people with the poverty mentality because you think rich people have a different level of evil in their hearts. They shouldn’t! You know what they should do with their money—not what you’re doing. Because the truth of the matter is you can be selfish with millions, and you can be selfish with hundreds. You can be selfish with your resources, and you can be selfish with your ramen noodles. It’s not about what we’re giving; it’s all about—everybody say—it’s all about the heart.
Okay, so this is where we have to go. I need everybody with me to look at Proverbs 4:23 because this is the anchor for this entire series. I keep saying it because these revelations that we’re trying to get to you and the motive of your heart starts in your head. We start thinking these motives, but then they show up in our hands. But where it lives is in our heart. That’s why we have to do what Proverbs 4:23 says: «Guard your heart above all else.» Guard your heart above prayer. Guard your heart above fasting. See, we read the scriptures, and we don’t really think about how strong the language is. «Guard your heart above going to church.» Hold on. God, I thought those were important? No, no, no! Your heart is the only thing that’s open 24/7. If you don’t put a security guard on your heart, if you don’t put something at the gates of your heart, you will be open to all kinds of foolishness ravaging through your life. Look what it says: «Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.»
So the heart is the cockpit of your life. Wherever you’re going, it happened in your heart first. Every relationship you got into, it happened in your heart before it ever happened in real life. The anger you’ve been experiencing? Where did it happen first? In your heart. Y’all remember being kids and your parents would do something that would make you mad? You’d be like, «Yes, ma’am.» Then you’d go in your room and what would you do? You’d get a pillow. Y’all know. You’re like, «What you doing in there?» «Nothing.» What was happening? I found that a lot of people who did that, at some point later, actually had a real confrontation like that with their parents. There was some type of actual interaction.
How many people had a real—how should I say this? —like a grown man conversation? You’re a grown man; I’m a grown man. I’m a grown woman; you’re a grown woman—like with your parents at some point in your life. Some of y’all still don’t remember because you got knocked out. Some of y’all are like, «I don’t even remember that.» The thing I found out is that even people who haven’t had that conversation often hold some animosity or tension in their hearts that has created tension in real life. Because it didn’t happen in real life; it happened in the heart. Y’all are mad at people you haven’t seen in decades. Every time something comes up on Facebook or Instagram, it grips you. Why? It’s not because you’ve hugged them; it’s because they got a hold of your heart. You’re being tossed around, and things are being dictated in your life because you didn’t guard your heart.
What I’m telling everybody right now is if God’s saying, «Show me the motive,» He’s referring to a bigger concept than just money. He’s saying, «The reason I need you to show me the motive is that if I can get into your heart, then I can course-correct your whole life.» But the gate to your heart is your finances. Let me prove it to you. The Bible says, «Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be there as well.» So if you have a problem locating your heart, just pull up your app with your finances on it, and I can tell you where your heart is at. Many of our hearts are on appearance. Many of our hearts are on the home we live in. It’s a house, but not a home.
There’s so much dissension; it would be better to downgrade your house and take that $15,000 you’re paying in interest and go get marriage counseling this next year. Nobody wants to hear that! Because you would rather live in a big house than have a home. You can have a home in 500 square feet, and you can have 5,000 square feet and not have a home. What I’m saying to you right now is all of that starts in the heart. So that’s my job in this series: to help your heart and to unteach a lot of what churches have taught you. They’ve taught you, «Give, and you’ll get. Give, and you’ll get.»
Today, you know what I’m reading out of? Psalms 333. So get a $333 seed in your hand. Yes, a $333 seed. Yeah, there’s a $333 anointing today! I’m just saying it; y’all see it! I’m just saying it, not putting God in it. Just what number? This is a 442. Give me a Psalms 442! Is there a 442 in the building? I don’t know, but give me your Psalms 442! If you do this in four hours and 42 minutes—hey, I feel the presence! Oh God, call me on if I be a man of God! We’ve done these things, and it’s another «M» word: manipulation. It’s the motive of the heart. And God’s saying, «Michael, don’t teach them, 'Give and get.' Don’t teach them, 'When you give, you’ll get! ' That’s slot machine stuff; that’s Vegas!
This is Kingdom! The mindset, the motive we want in our hearts: we give just to give. If God blesses me, that’s fine! I just want Him to give me enough to bless others. It’s a different mindset. Somebody say, „I give just to give.“ Say it again, „I give just to give.“ If I get something cool, but I give just to give. And once we get that, these principles—everybody say „principles"—the principles of God have the opportunity to not just change your finances; it’ll change your marriage, it’ll change your health, it’ll change your family, it’ll change your relationships. God doesn’t want you to have a blessed wallet; He wants you to live a blessed life. And that’s why you have to—everybody shout at me—"give!»
Matthew 7. I’m going to read a couple of passages of scripture, and I want this to get down in your heart today. I’m trying to change and shift your motive in week two. This is what I love about week two because a lot of fans came to week one, and all the real ones are here for week two! Can I hear from all the real ones who really want transformation? Okay! I love it! Matthew chapter 7, verse 1: «Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you apply, it will be measured back to you.»
This is heavy scripture. Let me ask you a question: Is the word «money» in this scripture anywhere? Okay, no money. The context here is judging. Say it with me: «Judge not, and you will not be judged.» Come on, say it loud! And with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Everyone in the room, I need you to say it loud: «Judge not, and you will not be judged,» and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Look at Luke chapter 6, verse 37. You will see at the beginning and at the end of this verse what we just said: «Judge not, and you will not be judged.» No, no, you don’t have to say it. Thank you, though; I appreciate your enthusiasm. I’m just reading the scripture this time. Okay, «Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.»
Now, this is verse 38, which you always hear quoted at offering time: «Give, and it will be given back to you.» Y’all know the rest: «Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will it be put into your lap.» I prefer «lap» over «bosom.» I don’t even know where my bosom is. For with the measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. This may shock you, but the word «money» doesn’t appear in this verse either. Every time we hear Luke 6:36, 37, and 38, it’s during offering time, but the word «money» is nowhere in this text. Why? Because giving is not about giving money; giving is all about the heart. You have to understand that when God talks about giving, which I personally believe is the theme of the Bible, He underscores this principle.
I heard a pastor once interviewed, and they asked him how often he talks about giving. He said, «Every week.» The interviewer exclaimed, «Oh my goodness, you talk about giving every week!» He replied, «The question you meant to ask me is how much do I talk about giving money?» For our church, Transformation Church, we speak about giving once a year in this series, but you can’t talk about grace without discussing giving. For God so loved the world that He gave… You can’t have a healthy marriage unless both partners care. There are countless ways we have relegated giving to money in our minds, robbing ourselves of a principle that can transform our lives. That’s why I’m here to reclaim and snatch back the enemy’s motive, making you think that whenever you hear the word «give,» it has to do with money.
When you think about giving, it should be about your life. The Bible tells us that the only reasonable sacrifice we can offer God is our bodies as a living sacrifice. You’re definitely not going to give God your life if you won’t even give Him your resources. You expect to give Him your all, but you won’t even give Him the money He provided you. I want this church to embrace the idea of giving. Not a reluctant «Oh God, what is this?» Let me tell you: The devil will never tell you to give because he can only lie. Anything he says is the opposite of what God is and does.
So if you ever feel inclined to give something, it’s not the devil. I know people might say, «Oh no, I just bought this!» but God is the only one who tells you to give. Sometimes we need confirmation, and God is fine with you needing it. «Lord, this costs a lot; are you sure I’m supposed to do this?» He is okay with that. But let me tell you right now, the devil never prompts you to give anything. The first time we see the devil, we witness his essence; he tries to take something. He seeks to steal glory from God. Do you all remember how Lucifer was cast out of heaven? He literally attempted to take what belonged to someone else.
When you give, grasp the idea of giving; it’s the thing in a believer’s life that combats selfishness and aligns your heart with God. That’s why some of you are feeling tense right now; you’re sitting there, clenched up because you think I’m about to ask you to give something. I’m not asking you for anything; I’m asking you to ask God what you need to give. Some of you need spring cleaning—not just the items in your closet, but also the things in your soul. Some of you would do better this year by starting with your closet and garage, but then allow God to inventory your heart. Allow Him to reveal what’s in there that is not like Him, and then give it away.
Matthew chapter 6, verse 21: I told you earlier, but I want you to see it in the Bible. «For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.» In the Message version, it says: «It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will want to be, and it’s where you’ll end up being, even if you don’t really want to be there.» Want your heart in the Kingdom of God? Put your treasure there. Even when you’re hesitant, you’ll find yourself in places where God can get glory out of your life. Put your treasure in a stock; I’m telling you, that’s where you’ll end up. I’ve placed my treasure in accounts and stocks whose names I couldn’t even pronounce, but believe me, as soon as my treasure went there, I was checking it daily.
Some of you check your bank accounts more than you check on your kids. The truth is, it’s where your treasure is; it’s almost like a heartstring connects your wallet to your chest. Because when you prepare to give, it’s like, «Ah, God!» But the reality is, if we don’t understand that God is saying, «I need to teach you about giving,» then you won’t start living a blessed life. Let me say something to all the people who think this church only wants your money: One of the main things I asked God when I began pastoring was, «Bless us so much that we will be known for blessing people.» God has fulfilled that promise. Transformation Church, give yourselves a round of applause! You are the most generous!
Oh, y’all can do better than that. Tens of thousands of us! For many of us, this is just a refresher; for others, it may feel like a reprimand. Some of us used to give generously but got off track during the pandemic. God is simply saying, «I need you to show Me your motives today. Open up your heart; I’m not mad at you. I just need to know what’s inside.» Because of the generosity of the people at Transformation Church, this is very important. An old preacher once told me, «Michael, God always provides for a soul-winning church.» I said, «What?» He replied, «Son, God always provides for a soul-winning church.» I pondered that and asked God why. He said, «Because more money means more purpose. If they’ll fulfill My purpose, I’ll give them everything they need.» I thought, «God, does this apply to other things?» He affirmed, «Yes, I always provide for a soul-winning child of Mine.»
Some of you may not realize that the reason God gave you that business was to serve as a platform to lead people to Jesus. You do good work, build trust, and gain access into their lives. They see why you’re blessed, and it’s not because of some seven steps; it’s because of Jesus. You may not have the qualifications to accomplish what God is blessing you to do, but many people miss the purpose behind it. God always provides for a soul-winning child. God always provides for a soul-winning company. Add another number to your stats: 10 salvations this year. Watch how your business skyrockets! Stop merely tracking your sales goals; add a salvation goal. They may not want to hear this message right now, but God will uniquely bring people to your business, website, or Instagram—people who would never step foot in a church.
However, there are certain people He cannot send to you because you see them merely as dollar signs, not as He sees them: as His passion. You could say, «More money, more passion» aligns with the things of God. The more He gives us, the more capacity we have to pursue His passion, which is the lost. But if you neglect this perspective, it will all pass you by because giving is truly about the heart. If it’s not in your heart without money, it won’t be in your heart when you have an abundance. Why do I have to come back the second week and check your motives? Because God says, «I want to bless them, but their hearts are not good soil. If I give it to them, they’ll just exploit people, feed their insecurities, and target those who wronged them instead of blessing them.» They’ll harness it to show their families their worth and that they deserved better. God is saying, «I need to check your motives here, because it is holy.»
The reason why it didn’t expand is that God wanted to give you time to get your motives right. All money does is magnify who you really are. I’m telling you, if you don’t allow God to check your motives right now, all my single ladies, make some noise! I need everyone to hear me say this: fellas, get your motives and your money right now! Did you all hear it? All the single ladies, make some noise one more time! Thousands more are joining us online. Fellas, you are called to lead your family according to Kingdom principles. Don’t start once you have the family; start now. Everybody say, «Here!» God wants to raise up a cadre of godly men who understand the concepts surrounding the principles of God, including Kingdom finance. The truth is, there are so many women out here outshining the men who claim to be the bosses—not because of gender but because of mindset.
I’m just telling you, I have to say this because I counsel people all the time, and one of the deal breakers in relationships is their motive around money. Today, I’m challenging you. When you say, «Show me the money,» God says, «Show me the motive.» Okay? If it’s all about the heart, we need to address some habits of our heart right now. I need everybody to write these down quickly because I’m going to take you to Scripture. These Scriptures speak to us about judging, and not giving judgments, because we don’t receive judgment. God wants us to be very sure that giving is more important than simply giving money. And let me throw a tip out there for parents: your children are a reflection of what you’ve given them. If you give chaos to your kids, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, they will return to you what you give. If you punish them out of your emotions instead of disciplining them, please don’t be surprised by the outcomes. If this principle works in every area of our lives, we should give good things regardless of the circumstances, because we give just to give, not to get.
Okay, look at Deuteronomy 15:7; we have to get moving. God tells us four things we must do to develop a heart of generosity, and I want your motives to change today. If you do these four things, when God says, «Show me the motive,» you’ll be able to stand proudly and say, «God, I have the right motive.» Here I am, Lord! Since I’m here, Lord, please say, «Hey, go over there!» You will be able to stand before Him and say, «Check my heart!» I want everyone in Transformation Nation to be able to do this without question.
Deuteronomy 15:7 says, «If there are any among you a poor man of your brethren within the gates in your land which the Lord your God has given you"—notice who gave you the land; the Lord God gave it to you—"you shall not harden your heart.» It’s all about the heart. «Do not harden your heart nor shut your hand.» Remember, I told you the heart and hand are connected. «Do not shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.» What would it look like to live like that? Whatever you need, I have it. If my brother—this connotation is not just a blood brother; it refers to someone in the community—some of you would do anything for your actual blood siblings, but let it be someone of a different ethnicity or someone who once had a lot, and you don’t know what they are going through behind the scenes. God tells you to give to them. You need to give to your brothers, whoever that is, whatever they need.
Four things: First, deal with the selfish heart. Verse 9 says, «Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart.» Oh my gosh, check out Deuteronomy 15:9. «Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, 'The seventh year of the release is at hand, ' and your eye be evil against your poor brother and give him nothing, and he cries out to the Lord against you, and it becomes sin among you.» Let me help you understand this. Notice that selfishness is wickedness in God’s eyes, and it becomes sin. If you have selfishness in your heart, you turn wicked in your heart. Wickedness in your heart equals sin in your life.
If you think, «I’m not giving to anyone in my family; they don’t deserve it,» years go by, your heart hardens, and when your family needs you for something that could transform their lives, you don’t give because you’ve developed a hard heart, and God counts that as sin against you. I sent you into that family to transform them, but because you were selfish, you became wicked, and now you’re in sin. You’re sitting front row, expecting the windows of heaven to open and rain down blessings, thinking God is going to bless you again, yet everything He gives you turns from selfishness to wickedness to sin.
I know all of this was in my heart. See, this was the real issue I had to confront because I had no problem acquiring money; I had a problem giving it away. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but this was what God dealt with me on. I said, «God, give me more of You.» He said, «Give more away.» I was thinking about more revelation, more wisdom. He said, «No, more release.» Why would I give you more if you won’t give it away? Why would I give you more of anything if you won’t be My hands and feet on the earth? This is what God has said. Everyone has to deal with a selfish heart because if you don’t, it turns into sin.
Selfishness turns into sin. Let me tell you what nobody told me: stop being selfish because it may be the thing that separates you from God. Everybody, «He’s sleeping with someone; he’s nasty, a liar, manipulative.» You know what they did, and God sees you in the same boat—not necessarily because of anything you committed with your body, but because of the motives in your heart. Keep being selfish and nasty and keep sinning. Until we deal with the selfish heart, we can never truly enter the blessed life God wants for us.
Let me explain this Scripture to you because some of you may not understand. Back in the day, the children of Israel had an economic system that said at the end of every seven years, all debts were released. Now let me ask a question: how many would like that economic system to be reinstated today? Yeah, yeah, but that’s not going to happen. This is why we need to grasp these principles because our blessed life is not dependent on the government; it is not dependent on a tax break. The resources in heaven do not change with gas prices. I need everyone to understand that. If we get the right principles, it will change the patterns we live by. A lot of us are conforming to the patterns of this world because we haven’t learned principles from God that change how we live right now.
So basically, if you saw your brother and he came to you six months before the year of Jubilee or the seventh year, saying, «Bro, my crops were bad this year. Could you lend me some money?» You might think, «Hold on, Jerome never pays me back!» It’s six months to the year of release, meaning if he doesn’t pay me back in six months, I have to forgive him. I’m sorry, Jerome, at this moment, I have no resources allocated for you—not because you don’t have it, but because there is selfishness in you. God said, «Don’t do that.» That is selfishness and greed, and it will end up keeping you from what I actually had for you.
The question for you is, who do you think invented giving, and why do you think He invented it? God invented giving not for Himself. Most people think, «Oh, He invented it so the work of the Lord could be provided for.» Really? You think heaven’s streets ran out of gold? The Bible says He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. God did not create giving for His sake; He made it for our sake. Because at any moment, we can become like Him when we extend beyond ourselves. When we get the right motive in our hearts, we can be His extension, changing our entire lives. This is why God invented giving, and God feels a certain way when we don’t deal with our selfish hearts. He feels like, «Really? Are you seriously going to take the resources that I gave you in grace, and then you’re not going to extend that same level of grace to something or someone else?»
I know there are some people here thinking, «Pastor, you don’t know how little I have. This would be good if I had more. I know you’re not talking to me.» The crazy thing about motive is it doesn’t have to involve money. Motive is found in the heart, and giving is all about the heart. I challenge you to write down six people you want to bless this year and assign amounts—even with no money in the bank. Start seeing it mentally until it drops into your heart. My Bible says that God gives seed to the sower. Most of us have yet to decide to sow, so we don’t receive any seed. I’m giving you cheat codes right now. When you begin to direct where you’re sowing, God will provide the seed. Some of you right now in March need to decide how many families you’re blessing for Christmas.
Y’all see those little golf claps like, «Christmas?» I just bought a gift for my kids. God says, «I’ll do for you what you’ve never even imagined I could do if you would just start thinking about others.» Some of you need to, in crazy faith, write and assign your seed somewhere. «I’m going to have eight hundred dollars to give away. I’m going to have a thousand dollars a month to give away. I’m going to keep one hundred in my pocket to bless whoever!» God, I’m putting this account on the books and declaring overflow because, Father, I want You to give me enough reason. I dare you! What will that do? It will work against your having a selfish heart. Somebody say, «I’ve got to deal with the selfish heart.»
Now, ladies, there’s one area I need to let you know that men will never ever get over when it comes to this—selfishness. We don’t want to share our food. I’m just letting you know. At the end of the day, we keep asking, «Do you want something?» What do you say? «No, I’ll just have some of yours.» No, you won’t! At the end of the day, these fries are mine, and the ones at the bottom of the bag are mine too! I don’t know, but Pastor Natalie and I have had a struggle. «I’ll buy you two fries; just leave mine alone!»
Next, deal with a generous heart. Number two: deal with the grieving heart. Uh-oh! Deuteronomy 15:10 says, «You shall surely give,"—everybody say «give"—"to him, and your heart should not be grieved.» Giving and grieving is not godly. You should give, but you should not grieve when you give to him because this act you are doing should be done with the right heart. The Lord your God will bless you. Watch this promise: if you give and don’t grieve, the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hands. If I give and just think, «God’s got it,» and bless others, God’s got me! He would never ask me to give something up that He doesn’t know how He’s going to get me to the next place.
Somebody say, «God’s got it!» Transformation Nation will no longer give in grief. We’re not giving and grieving. When it’s time for us to tithe, return, and give, we should be joyful because God loves a cheerful giver. That’s not just about giving money; this week I challenge everybody to give a pair of shoes away—watch this—and give one that you still wear. Who wears size 13 in here? Who wears 13? Raise your hand. Yes! Come right here.
Okay, so I want to tell you: you need some real expensive shoes! What’s your name? I know who you are. I love you, brother! Benson, you good? How old are you? Sixty years old?! Have you ever had a pair of Versace tennis shoes? Well, now you do. God bless you! What you don’t understand is that what just happened brings me joy. I’m a cheerful giver. It doesn’t matter if nobody else thinks that’s a big deal; something inside me just ignited because I’m not grieving. I’ll never wear those shoes again, but I’m not grieving! Why? Because this is exercise; this is training. These are the habits of my heart. I give to ensure I remain humble in my heart so that I don’t grieve when God asks for whatever He asks for.
I’ve given away homes; I’ve given away cars. I give! That was my first time wearing those shoes. I’ve never done this before. They had an hour and 15 minutes of weight; they’re not mine anymore. When I leave here, I won’t be thinking, «Oh, he’s probably going to mess them up!» Act like you’ve never given anything, and afterwards think, «Oh my God!» They don’t even realize what that was. I promise you, Robinson doesn’t know what the shoes are. He’s like, «They’re kind of bulky.» But once it’s released from me, I’m no longer responsible—he is. When you release it, you’re no longer responsible for it; she is. This is why we have to deal with a grieving heart, because selfishness—write this down—attacks us before we give, but grief attacks us after we give. Finally, you get the courage to give, and then you give it, and it’s like, «Oh my gosh!»
Have you ever given a large seed or given something away in the crazy faith of her, and afterward, something breaks? She said every time, «Oh my God, that’s the enemy trying to convince you that you shouldn’t have done that. You should go and see if you can get that back.» You know, we’ve had people call the church and say, «You know what? I’m not lying. Am I telling the truth? Breathe? When I gave in faith two weeks ago, could you run me my $36 back?» And in my heart, when people do that, because I know there are real situations going on, I feel so grieved—not for the $36, but for their lack of trust in God. Not in this church, not with this group of people; we’re going to live in crazy faith in a way that changes our communities, our lives, our businesses. And when God says, «Show me the motive,» we’re going to proudly stand up and say, «God, no, we dealt with our selfish heart, and we’ve dealt with a grieving heart.»
Now, it’s so crazy! I’ve been preaching this message for literally eight years, and I just thought about it: I should have prepared more preparation, stewardship. I’ve got my daughter with me. Pass is resting at the house right now; she’s watching. Hey baby, I love you! And, uh, yeah, so I have to take the girls to dinner after church. Chick-fil-A is closed, so I’m going to take them somewhere nicer. I just remembered I don’t have my wallet; I don’t have any money on me right now. And I just said, «Charlie,» and you just handed me $100. Thank you, Charles! Now, let’s talk about this. Stop clapping for him, okay? Why was Charles so quick to give me this $100? Because I gave it to him before service. Charles is not grieving because he knows where it came from. The problem for many of us is we’re grieving when God tells us to do something because somehow we think it’s our money, our job, our bank account, our house, and our car. But we are just managers; we don’t own anything. Everything is God’s; we just get to manage it. So when we think about our resources as being God’s, when He asks for it back, it’s very simple to walk away and say, «God, do whatever You want to do,» because I’m not grieving what’s not mine. Thank you, Charles, for giving me $100. I appreciate you, bro; you can have it back.
Now, do you see what just happened? He’s excited because he did well with what I gave him. He got it back. Charles, I forgot, though, that I needed to give you an extra $100, because anything God gives, He doesn’t give you back what you gave. It’s a principle; it’s not luck—it’s a principle, okay? It’s like gravity. Do you understand what I’m saying? It’s a principle. When you sow, you get it back. But Charles, this is what I need you to do. Thank you for being a good steward, okay? So this morning you had nothing, but then I gave you $100. You gave it back to me, and I gave you $200. So I’m going to give you $100 that you didn’t have this morning, but I need you to give away the $200 I gave you. Who needs it? Who needs it? Who needs it? She came up to the front! All right, come here, sis. Come here. Come on, come up here. Okay, come on; now, watch—help her up here, Charles. Now watch. Are you okay? All right, she’s all right. The camera didn’t see it, but she almost bit the dust. The heels are cute; she knew she was coming on stage.
Now, watch, now watch. Charles is not grieving because it started with him having nothing. He got the $100, and then I gave him $200—the $100 that he needed, and then he was able to be a blessing to somebody. Did you come in knowing you were getting $200 today? Do you feel blessed right now? Okay, but this is how it keeps going. I need you to pick somebody who’s white—oh, hold up, hold on, because I’m coming for your prejudices. See, sometimes God will bless you and then assign it to somebody you’ve had issues with.
Okay, come on up here. Come on, see, generosity has no color. Come on up here. Generosity has no color; generosity has no gender. I need you to give her the $200. What’s your name? Kaylee, you give her the $200. Give her all of it. Okay, did you come in knowing you were going to get blessed today? No? Did you need that $200? Okay, so watch. God knew her need before she showed up today, so He used Charles to tell me your name—Latandra—to then bless—what’s your name? Kaylee. Now watch: somebody doesn’t have anything right now. Latandra doesn’t have any resources at this moment, but her resources are in transit. See, now at this moment, if Latandra starts throwing a fit and saying, «Why would you even call me up here? I’m going to leave! I almost fell, and you’re going to call me up here while I’m standing here looking crazy?» Let me pull them out. Let me make sure you gave away the $200, right? Okay, here’s $400.
Now, watch. Now watch. Charles started with one; now he has the least at this moment with the level of his obedience. It was the only thing that could bless anybody else. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t have as much as them; he’s just excited that he got to start the train of generosity. Oh my God, his motive is pure. He started off with $100, and he now has $400; you got $200. But when it comes time to bless, I love you, but I don’t know your motive. Are you cute, but I don’t know your motive? But I have given to him, and I know his motive. So when it comes time for me to bless again, only bless people with the right motive—somebody give God some praise right there!
I love y’all. And just for all the haters, that’s my own money; that’s not the church’s money. That didn’t come off the offering plate. Sick of y’all; probably y’all watch people get blessed, but I wonder whose money that is. I bet God—lee! We live in the most cynical generation in the world! But it doesn’t bother me. I just gave thousands of dollars, and I’m not grieving. Why? Because I’ve dealt with my heart. Giving is all about the what. Okay, two more; we gotta get out of here. Oh my goodness, the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof! Psalms 24. Okay, so if we’re going to develop a generous heart—the third thing—develop a generous heart.
Like, it’s one thing to deal with a selfish heart and deal with a grieving heart; it’s another thing to actually develop—and watch that word 'develop.' That means there’s discipline behind it. That means you don’t give tithe or return tithe once and think you’ve developed anything. The development is in the consistency. The development is what happens in the dark room. Have you ever seen how film gets developed? It’s usually not in front of everybody; there’s usually no lights on it. And this is the same thing God does—He develops your generosity in the dark. This week, when everybody in Transformation Nation gives away a pair of shoes that you like, I’m just challenging you. Everybody’s not going to know about it, and they shouldn’t. Try this one in silence; just do it. They don’t even have to know you gave it to them. Find out and give it to somebody else, and tell them, «Somebody told me to bless you with these!»
Oh, did y’all not know it takes work to give? Because you’ve got to find out what somebody’s shoe size is. And some of y’all are going to get thrown off just by that. «Well, God, don’t you know I would give them away, but I don’t want them to go to just anybody. You know, I wanted it to be special.» And so at this point, I don’t—or just go to the shoe store and see somebody looking at shoes. This is easy! Go buy them a gift card for $200 and tell the cashier, «When that person comes up, use this,» and walk out of the store. Because if you don’t develop this, you’ll never be able to distribute what you don’t develop. You can’t distribute if you don’t develop kind words. You can’t give them. If you don’t develop a heart of generosity, you will not be generous. This is what we all have to do—develop a generous heart.
Look back at Deuteronomy 15, um, verse 14. It says, «You shall supply him.» Jerome, who didn’t have what he needed, you shall supply him. Look at this word: liberally—from where? Lord, your flock, your bank account, your threshing floor, from your wine, from your refrigerator. Go take it from your garage, your storage, your closet. From what?
Watch this: Why can He ask me for this? It’s from what the Lord your God has blessed you with. That’s where you should give—from what God blessed you with. Everything you got on your own, you ain’t got nothing to do with that, but everything that came from God—yeah, God wants us to be generous. But we’re born selfish. Let me just tell you, we’re already born with a negative $100 on the score in this fallen world. You don’t ever have to teach your kids how to be bad. My parents never taught me how to be bad; it was innate—it was my nature. You never have to teach a person to be selfish; it’s our nature, okay? But the good news is that literally, when we’re born again, we’re born generous. Now we have to renew our minds to the point that what God has given us matches up with what we give to others. That’s why God’s saying, «Show me the motive. Why do you want that? How do you want that? Who are you going to bless with that?»
And the truth of the matter is many of us have not learned what we should have learned when we were children: share. It comes down to a very simple concept. Everybody, say it: share! Your bad little kids running around, «I got something too! Just hold on; I’ll tell them myself.» And what do you teach them? We share! Stop hitting them with the truck—share! No, no, no, don’t take that from them! Especially when you go outside your house and you take your little Tasmanian devils and mix them with some other regular kids, and your kids start doing what they do at the house, and you’re like, «Oh my God, I’m so sorry! He’s never done this before!» He’s snatching stuff—King Kong ain’t got nothing on me—that’s your three-year-old! But the truth of the matter is they’re adults. I still have not learned the concept: share.
Every time that I begin to teach this series, I’ll let y’all know that I don’t ever teach anything that’s not happening in my life. The real reason that I have this book is because I’m taking it home to teach my daughter some more about sharing, because we had an incident. And I could tell you the story, but I ended up capturing what happened on video. So watch my crazy family. Take a look at this: we have a problem. Isabella, come here! Where’s Ava? We had a problem in the car the other day about the Valentine’s Day bears that I gave y’all. What is the problem? Could you talk about it, please?
Okay, hold on, hold on—one at a time! No, I don’t want to talk rock-paper-scissors right now! My paper scissors, show me what you got! I got something you don’t got! Bella gets to go first! All right, so technically, on Valentine’s Day, what happened was my dad surprised us with gifts, and there were teddy bears in them and all types of stuff. Ava and I mixed up our bags! So Ava wanted the pink one, even though red is her favorite color, so I gave her the pink one, and then I had the right one. I don’t—slow down! Well, then I gave her the pink bear, but after I found out it shed, I didn’t like the bear anymore, and I was like, «I want my pink bear back!»
You want your bear back? Yes, I want my bear back! Okay, you didn’t want the red one anymore! And then, when she asked for the pink bear back, how did it make you feel? Thumbs down! Okay, no words from Ava today. Bella, you can’t give somebody something and then take it back! You have to share, and then be okay with it, because you can’t be generous and then be selfish at the same time! You understand what I’m saying? I never sleep with it. Why? Because it’s my bear; it’s not your bear! You gave it away; how is it your bear? It was my bear. Was it your bear when you gave it away? No, so it’s Ava’s bear, right? Well, I’m still teaching generosity and stewardship in the Todd household, it seems.
Now, that was the abridged version; that conversation lasted 32 minutes while I tried to convince my Isabella that when she gave it away, it was no longer hers. The crazy thing is, we’re talking about bears right now, but this is how you deal with everything God has given you. God is saying, «Share.» See, it’s cute right now when we’re talking about bears, but it’s not cute in a marriage. It’s cute right now when we’re discussing something like, «Oh, you can just get another bear,» but it’s not cute when we’re talking about giving time to your children. You’ve been so caught up in chasing paper that you missed the purpose of what God wants for you. He gave you the resources so you could have more time to be there, and the truth is, it’s cute while they’re eight and four, but if they keep acting like this and they’re 25 and 21, at some point, I’m going to ask, «When are you going to grow up? When are you going to grow up and be like your father, who loved you so much that I gave you the bears in the first place?»
See, the crazy thing is, my daughters didn’t realize this, but when I gave them those bears, I just wanted them to share. These were the precursor bears; they weren’t even the bears I had in mind for them in the long term. Those bears were a practice round. I gave them these bears to express my love in the moment, but I had already bought and paid for other bears that were bigger, better, softer, and more than they could ever imagine. I brought the other bears for them. Right now, let me show you: these were the bears I had prepared for my daughters. I didn’t buy these for this example; these were bears I already had. Now, look, pass me the mother bears because we’re just going to sit here with the bears. Look how small the bears they were fighting over were compared to the bears I was trying to give them. What I’m telling you right now is that it may not be bears, but God is saying if you would just share what I’ve already given you, I have something so much more in store for you that you will be able to enjoy to the point where you’d be able to give these bears away.
Now, if they wouldn’t share with a sister, who would they share with? What I’m asking you to do as a church is develop a heart of generosity. That means you’re going to have to let go of a selfish heart, and you’re going to have to deal with the grieving heart. But the only way we can develop a generous heart is if we steward and give away what God has already placed in our hands.
Now, the crazy thing about these bears is, I found some online that were six feet tall! I mean, they were huge! I told Natalie for Valentine’s Day, «What are you doing?» because I said, «I want bears for them every year on Valentine’s Day. I’m going to give my daughters a bear until I’m no longer alive.» That’s why it has the year on it—2022. I started that two years ago! Every year for Valentine’s Day, I want them to have these bears. I want them to have 60 bears from their daddy, and every year, the bears can only get bigger for so long. I mean, a six-foot bear? I’m not bringing a nine-foot bear in my house. That would be like, «Whoa, a real bear!» and look, children, «It’s a grizzly!» I’m not doing that. But what will end up happening, because I’ve already started planning out, is that the bears will get smaller but will just become more valuable. Sometimes the packaging of how God blesses you is not in the same way you once received it. If you put a lot of diamonds on a little bear, it’s way more valuable.
What I’m trying to tell you is that maybe God is trying to trust you with not bigger but more valuable. How you handle these things will allow you to receive what God has already planned for you. If you’re going to develop a generous heart, would you give God some praise in the building right now?
All right, last thing: number four, develop a grateful heart. So we’re going to deal with a selfish heart, deal with a grieving heart, and develop a generous heart, and then guess what? We’re going to develop a grateful heart. Deuteronomy 15:15 says, «You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you to give this day.» Hold on, that’s strong language! How can God command me to do something? Oh, He has the authority to command me because I once was a slave in bondage. The fact that I have the freedom to choose means that God has been good.
So if I remember how grateful I am to just be in the position I’m in right now, I may not make six figures, but I am not making what I was making three years ago. God, I thank you for the upgrade! Father, I don’t have my dream car, but Lord, I’m in the car that I don’t have to anoint with oil every six miles. God, I thank you! Until we develop a grateful heart, God can give to you, and you’ll still feel entitled to it. The spirit of entitlement is killing the joy of God’s children because we feel like it’s about time.
What I’m grateful for is this church. I’m grateful for our team and our staff. I’m grateful for you, Transformation Nation. I remember preaching in this church with 300 people here, and that’s all who were going to hear this message, and half of them would be asleep anyway. I knew some people were talking about me; I knew they didn’t believe in the decision Bishop made. So when people approach me in the airport and say, «I just read Crazy Faith,» or the other day I saw a guy who tattooed «Crazy Faith» on his hand—wow, I’m not doing that—what do I get? Not starstruck, not even excited; I get humbled. I become grateful that anything God would speak through me would impact somebody’s life to the point where it caused any amount of transformation. I’m grateful.
But the only way you stay grateful is by staying in touch with your desert place. If you don’t remember who you were when nobody was checking for you—so many of y’all are brand new. I don’t know where all the parenting stuff is coming from today, but one thing I would ask every parent is, don’t act like you were always a parent. One of the greatest things you could do for your children is share with them your failures. I’m saying, the greatest testimonies in my life that caused transformation were when I was dealing with pornography and that addiction and those sin cycles. That time when my dad told me a story that gave me literal hope that I could see a better tomorrow—he shared with me that when he went out of town with his marching band, the Grambling State Tigers, he was the drum major.
He said, «Michael, that came from me,» and I was like, «What?» He said, «It came from me. I’m going to tell you a story I haven’t told you.» He said, «We went on a trip to New York.» Back then, they didn’t have pornography like they do today. They didn’t have websites; they had what they called peep shows. You would go to these windows, put in a quarter, and then the curtain would pull back and you would see a naked woman. He said he walked down the street all night with a pocket full of quarters. What did that do for me? It let me know that I wasn’t alone, and it let me know that I could come out of it because he overcame it.
The Bible says we overcome by the blood of the Lamb; that’s what Jesus did, but also by the words of our testimony. Don’t lose your testimony; and all the great things God’s doing, don’t make so much money that you forget the purpose of why God saved you. He saved you to save others. More money means more purpose, but you’ll never accomplish the purpose if that motive is not in your heart. So when you’re saying, «Show me the money,» God is saying, «Please, show me the motive.»
If I’m going to develop this type of heart, I have to remember that I was jacked up and had nothing without God. This week I was reminded—my wife and I share openly with you all—we’ve been walking through a journey of counseling, intensive counseling, and grief counseling. We’re praying through MJ’s situation and all this other stuff. We’re going to pray and get counseling. I really believe it is healthy for you to have theology and therapy. I keep saying that because up until three years ago, I thought it was just pray and you don’t have enough faith.
But I found out that there’s so much healing that comes from communicating what happened with no judgment and no pain. I know there are some super religious people tight right now, but what’s not transformed is transferred. My wife and I made a decision that our kids aren’t getting the dysfunctions we wouldn’t talk about; we would just pray about it. It took years to get into stuff, and it may take years to walk out of it. But on this journey, you already know at Transformation Church it’s about progression, not perfection.
I’m sharing this openly to give somebody the courage to make that call. I promise you, counseling is expensive—$150 for an hour—and they don’t even say much; I talk the whole time! Matter of fact, I might as well stay at home and pay myself. I’m a better investment than those shoes, than that bag. Maybe it might take a year; it may take the vacation money this year. But would I rather be in a tropical location mad at my spouse, or sitting right here at home happy? I’m just saying, this is all about priorities.
This week, my wife and I were in Colorado for three days of intensive counseling—10 hours a day. «That’s awesome,» you might say. Well, it was hell; it was not awesome, but it was necessary! You don’t have to enjoy it to be getting healed. Most healing is not enjoyable. When you’re healing or rehabbing, you’re learning to use a muscle again. When I’m learning to use soft words instead of preaching to my wife, I’m not her pastor first; I’m her husband and helpmate first.
I get up here and tell you, but then she’s like, «Those are your clothes; they stink!» I know you know what I’m saying. I’m just trying to live this authentically in front of you. As we were in counseling, one of the assignments was to label the seasons of our life. We labeled this particular season, and we concluded that the title was «The Suck,» because it sucked.
I cheated on Natalie before we were married. There were a lot of insecurities, and various things played out in our life for decades. In that moment, I started to get emotional. I was looking at that, and it was just a rough three-year span. It just sucked! Sin cycles, all kinds of foolishness—me trying to live outside of my calling and do what culture told me to do, chasing money—all of this other stuff. Then I began to think about where we are today: beautiful kids impacting the community around us in counseling; I was like, «Lord, how did you do this? I know where I was in that season of my life and how broken I was and how twisted and perverted I was. How did you get me here?»
There was this overwhelming sense of joy and gratefulness that came over me because I remembered where I was. I realized that it’s not just about where I am today. The only way you can be generous is first by being grateful. Remember when you didn’t have money to even think about being generous? Do you know what family I was raised in? Do you know how broken? Do you know how much debt I was under? God, whatever I have, it’s yours! Someone say, «I’m grateful!»
Today, I want to let you know that no matter where you are, no matter how much money you have, it doesn’t matter because without Jesus, you’re a slave to sin. For three years, I was a slave to sin. The crazy thing about sin is that it makes you think you have freedom. I can do whatever I want. Why am I climbing through this window at four o’clock in the morning? Why am I eating like this? No, it’s because something is driving me. I was a slave to sin, but when Jesus redeemed me, everything in my life changed. What I want to tell everybody is that it doesn’t matter what you have; if you don’t have Christ, for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, Jesus, that whosoever would believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. He went first to show us the model of what purpose looks like and how purpose comes to earth. Somebody had to give it. So, when we say «more money,» we say «more purpose,» and then God says, «Now let me check your motive. Do you have My heart?»
Last point: write it down. I promise you need to say this, write it everywhere, and get it down in your heart. It doesn’t matter how much money you have if your heart is bankrupt. I’ve seen people with hundreds of millions of dollars, Bishop Pearson, with bankrupt hearts. One of the things I have decided is that if we’re going to live a blessed life as a church, I need everybody to remember that the church is not just an organization; it’s not just the ecclesia. We are the church too. If we’re going to live this blessed life, we must have a heart like His—more money, more purpose. I want to pray for you. If there are any areas where you need God to touch—a selfish heart, a grieving heart, or if you just want to have a generous and grateful heart—would you please stand wherever you are? Any of those categories, I will pray for everybody in your home, right there at your cubicle or desk. Go ahead and do me a favor; just as a sign of surrender, lift your hands.
Yes, Father, I’m praying right now. Oh, I feel the presence of God. Right now, as we have heard this message, we’re asking You to check our motives. Father, everything that’s not like You, we ask that You would take it away. Give us a heart like Yours. Let us be as generous as You were to give Jesus without a guarantee. You gave Jesus in faith. Wow! I thank You that we, as Your children, will model after You, Father God, and we will become generous just like You are generous. For everybody who’s dealing with a selfish heart right now, I begin to pray for you. God, I thank You that all selfishness—that thing, Father God, that allows them to think that it’s better in their hands than in Your hands—I’m thanking You that it is crushed under the power of this anointing in this room right now. I declare that things given to them by their parents are coming to mind. Come on, you need to receive this right now.
Father, I thank You that a generous heart will begin to blossom in them right now, and I thank You, Father God, that by this time next year, they won’t even recognize the level of generosity that they have. Father God, as they step out in faith this week, I say give when You tell them to give. Say, «Give those shoes away.» As they do a random act of kindness, help them to serve—not just with money, but with their time, talents, and treasures. Father God, I’m thanking You that You would allow generosity to form in this church, God.
Father, I’m praying for everybody who’s grieving, for those who have grieved. Father God, trusting You, giving to a family member, and they haven’t seen the results yet of what they’ve done. Father, I thank You that they do not grow weary in well-doing. Father God, but just at the right time, You’re sending encouragement to them. Father, they will stay faithful because there’s a bigger bear You have for them. There’s so much more You want to trust them with. God, I’m asking You to give them the faith to stay in the fight. Yep. Thank You that generosity keeps flowing.
And Father, for those who have been generous, Father God, and maybe have started to drift back into a different way of thinking, I thank You, Father, that You would spring them forward in generosity. God, I thank You, Father God, that You’re going to continue to make them a river and not a reservoir, that You can get it to them because You can get it through them. I’m thanking You, Father, that resources would erupt in the hands of people who have Your heart. God, let us all be grateful that You saw us broken, disgusted, messed up, just living without You, and You said, «That’s My child.» God, thank You for Your grace. We’re grateful for Your grace today. All we have is Yours because You’ve given us everything. Give us a heart like Yours. We trust You, we believe You, and we thank You in Jesus' name.
Father, I thank You that a generous heart will begin to blossom in them right now, and I thank You, Father God, that by this time next year, they won’t even recognize the level of generosity that they have. Father God, as they step out in faith this week, I say give when You tell them to give. Say, «Give those shoes away.» As they do a random act of kindness, help them to serve—not just with money, but with their time, talents, and treasures. Father God, I’m thanking You that You would allow generosity to form in this church, God.
Father, I’m praying for everybody who’s grieving, for those who have grieved. Father God, trusting You, giving to a family member, and they haven’t seen the results yet of what they’ve done. Father, I thank You that they do not grow weary in well-doing. Father God, but just at the right time, You’re sending encouragement to them. Father, they will stay faithful because there’s a bigger bear You have for them. There’s so much more You want to trust them with. God, I’m asking You to give them the faith to stay in the fight. Yep. Thank You that generosity keeps flowing.
And Father, for those who have been generous, Father God, and maybe have started to drift back into a different way of thinking, I thank You, Father, that You would spring them forward in generosity. God, I thank You, Father God, that You’re going to continue to make them a river and not a reservoir, that You can get it to them because You can get it through them. I’m thanking You, Father, that resources would erupt in the hands of people who have Your heart. God, let us all be grateful that You saw us broken, disgusted, messed up, just living without You, and You said, «That’s My child.» God, thank You for Your grace. We’re grateful for Your grace today. All we have is Yours because You’ve given us everything. Give us a heart like Yours. We trust You, we believe You, and we thank You in Jesus' name.
Somebody say, «My motive is pure. I will live a blessed life.» If you’re watching this and you’ve never given your life to Christ, this is your moment. See, the best way to have a heart like God’s is to get a new heart. A lot of us try to work on the heart we have, but in this fallen world, that heart isn’t going to help you. But at salvation, God gives us a new heart, a heart like His, a generous heart. Today, I’m going to offer you the gift of salvation—it’s what took me from being selfish, a liar, a manipulator, someone who was addicted to pornography, someone with a bad track record—and God said, «Yeah, give Me your life and I’ll give you a future.»
Everybody in this room watching online is praying for people right now who may have been doing things far away from God. What I want you to know is God isn’t repulsed by you or repelled by you. He’s excited that you would even consider Him as an option for your life. He’s so excited about it that He made a plan for you long before you were born, and He sent His only Son to the cross and gave Him up for you so that you could have eternal life. Not just eternity, but you could also have a good history. Some of you don’t need to worry about whether you’re going to heaven or hell; you’re living in hell right now. God said, «I came that you might have life and have it to the full.»
Today, I want to give you an opportunity to truly live the blessed life. The blessed life starts with Christ, and if you have never received Jesus or if you’ve backslidden, and you know you’re away from God and want to put your hand back in the Master’s hand, today is your day of salvation. Nobody here is judging you, and if they do, tell me because I know some of them, and they are a raggedy mess without Jesus. At the end of the day, we’re all sinners saved by grace, but today is your day of salvation.
On the count of three, we’re about to pray. If you want to be included in that prayer and give your life to Jesus Christ, today is the day of salvation. I get excited about this part because this is part of my purpose—the reason why God gives me resources, the reason why we have these screens, and why I’m wearing this. I don’t even know; this feels like a Mexican sombrero. Doesn’t this look like something from a quinceañera or something? I don’t know; I like it. It matches the series. But anyway, at the end of the day, the reason I do all the things I do is to reach somebody for transformation in Christ.
Today, you may not have heard one word I said; you might just be mesmerized by the colors I have on. It doesn’t matter. If your heart is open to salvation, it was all worth it. If that’s you and you want to give your life to Christ, on the count of three, I just want you to slip your hands up. It doesn’t matter who’s around you. It doesn’t matter who you’re with. What you did yesterday or what you are planning to do tomorrow doesn’t matter. Today, right here, this is holy, and this is the day of salvation for you.
One: you’re making the greatest decision you’ve ever made in your life. Two: I’m proud of you! But forget all that—your name is going to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Your eternity will be secure, as well as your history will be enhanced. Three: lift your hands up all over the world. Oh, I’m excited because what I know right now is hands are going up in different cities and different countries, even in this room. Come on, let’s give God praise right there; people are making a decision for purpose! To God be the glory! We’re going to pray together because Transformation Church—we don’t pray alone. We’re a big family and we’re standing with everybody who’s coming to faith right now. Somebody, just with excitement in your heart, say:
God, thank You for sending Jesus just for me. Thank You for changing my heart and changing my motives. Today, I give You my life. I believe You lived, You died, and You rose again just for me. I’m Yours. Take over, renew me, change me, and transform me in Jesus' name. Amen.