Michael Todd - Cuffed to Control: The Cancer of Cocky Christianity
Anybody ready for the word of God this morning? Hey, listen, I just want to say how grateful I am to lead a church that is truly what, um, the scripture talks аbout: unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, especially in the climate that we live in, so many people are ashamed of their faith, and the one thing I have decided is that if I’m going to live this life out loud for God, I cannot be ashamed of what He’s done for me, what He’s currently doing in me, and what He’s going to do in me. I’m just grateful that every week I get to come to a place full of unashamed believers who are not perfect—there are no perfect people here—but we are progressing. That’s why we believe that God is saying this is not about perfection; this is about progression.
That’s why I’m so glad you are here today, no matter what you had to do to get here. How many people had a bit of a struggle this week? Come on, just a little struggle? Okay, hands in the chat, a little struggle! But the fact that you made it here means that God is going to do something significant in your life. We’ve prayed for you, believing that God has been divinely orchestrating moments and situations. I don’t know why and how you’re hearing this message right now—maybe live in the room, maybe on rebroadcast, or maybe you’re in a room where somebody’s watching it because they want you to join in, but you’re upset with them, so they just have it all loud in the background, and now I’m talking to you.
Hey! However it is, I believe that God has made this a divine appointment for you—this is a time to begin to transform. Today, God has given me a word for not just this house, but I believe it’s a word for this generation. Okay, it’s so much of a word for this generation that I cannot hold back how I’m going to deliver it to you today. I can’t just ease you into it; I have to go for it! You’re going to have to take this hit in the mouth and then recover, knowing like, «Okay, that’s what it feels like to get hit in the mouth. Now, I’m ready.»
Next week, you’ll be ready! But this week, I’m just going to pop you in the spirit! The only reason for this is because I haven’t been able to shake this message for the past twelve months, but it is a culmination of the past thirty-five years of my life. God said, «Michael, you weren’t ready to talk about this because you weren’t ready to give it up.» Oh God, we’re going all the way there right now! But I have watched this past year the things that God has taken me through—it’s made me surrender in a new way, the things that I thought I could control. So today, we’re going back into a series called Cuffing Season.
Now, not everyone knows what that means, okay? But earlier this year during the spring and summer, God told me I was supposed to do this series called Cuffing Season. For anyone who knows about the relevance of that in culture, some might wonder, «Cuffing Season? What in the world are we talking about? Are there handcuffs somewhere?» No, this is not that. This is a season, usually fall and winter, when people start getting into relationships that are not good for them. Have you ever seen those people who say, «You know what, I’m just going to settle for anything at this point. I want to snuggle; I don’t want to go to the movies by myself anymore; it’s dark out here!»
And then you look at them, wondering when they started dating this person? But I believe Cuffing Season, as I was thinking about it, applies to more than just those who want to be in physical relationships. When we started this series, we did nine weeks of Cuffing Season back in the spring, but as soon as I began praying about it again, I got twenty-two sermons! I’ve never had this many before; the last time this happened was during Crazy Faith. I knew we couldn’t do them all then, so God said, «We’re going to have one season in the spring, and then you’re going to come back in the fall.»
Now, God has given me brand new messages about the things that every believer needs to uncuff from. See, the truth is you don’t need to be cuffed to some things; you’re already cuffed to them! Some of the stuff we’re about to talk about—these aren’t just things you say, «Oh yeah, I need to cuff,» these have been with you for decades, and they are no longer serving you. They helped you get through a season, but now they are a burden, and you don’t know how to let them go. I’m telling you, by the end of this series, there’s going to be a freedom that rises up in the people of God! There’s going to be a newfound ability to trust God, even in situations that look like there’s no way I can let go of this. I’m here as a living witness that God wants you to be—everybody say it with me—set free! But what if you have the key?
Okay, I’m not talking about acting like everything is someone else’s responsibility. «Oh well, if someone sets me free, if somebody comes to rescue me.» God said, «I’ve given you the keys to the kingdom! I’ve given you things that you won’t even acknowledge right now, and you won’t let yourself go.» I told you I would change your mind, I’d change the way you think! If you would just submit to me, I would do that. You have the key to this thing, and God is saying it’s time to get free!
So, if you haven’t, I’m telling you right now: if you haven’t watched the first nine parts of Cuffing Season, we went cuffed to comfort, cuffed to convenience, cuffed to cake—that’s still working on some of us right now! Somebody said, «Oh, that’s me!» Cuffed to the comments, cuffed to condemnation, cuffed to comparison, cuffed to constant. I need you to go watch all nine of those, then come back and watch this one, and then get ready for next week, because we’re cuffed until Christmas. I’m letting you know I’m not moving off of this until I see a generation walking in freedom! Somebody just shouted at me real big, «Freedom!» Come on in the room! At your house, shout at me, «Freedom!»
Okay, the reason why Cuffing Season is so important is that when you think about being cuffed to something or connected to something or entangled with something, it’s not bad to be entangled, cuffed, or connected to something that’s prosperous for you, profitable for you, or good for you. But the truth is, most of us are cuffed to things that we love that do not love us back. Can we be honest right now? How many people—let’s be humble, open, and transparent—how many people love something that you know is not good for you and is not loving you back? Okay, now I want to take it a step further so we can get real transparent. I need you to start yelling and putting in the comments some of the things that you love that are not loving you back.
Talk to me! Somebody said, «Food.» What? Bread? She said, «Bread! Cheesecake Factory brown bread.» Somebody said, «Bread!» What else? «Sweets!» My son—uh-oh! Come on, let’s talk! What’d you say? «My way, my desires, attention.» Oh, see, that’s why I love my church, because they’re going to say real stuff. What are some of the things you love that do not love you back? «Codependency, Netflix and chill.» Somebody said, «What are some of the…?» Come on, in the comments, give me a couple more. What are some of the things that you love? «Twitter, social media, video games.» Come on, talk to me! «Money, my attitude, smoking, control, TikTok…» Now people are saying names! Charles? They’re saying names like it’s a person! Because the truth is, if we are not careful and intentional, we will begin to form emotional bonds with things that have us bound.
Okay, I’m going to say it again: many of the things we are believing God for right now are the result of having emotional bonds with something that actually has us bound. Because I’m cuffed, because I’m cuffed to attention, I’m going places I don’t even want to go, buying clothes I don’t even want to wear, taking selfies in positions I don’t even know if I can get out of—not because I even want to! I’m cuffed! And what I’m asking us to do in this series is take a thorough examination of the areas and the things we have been calling normal that we’ve become comfortable with. I want us to bring all those things to God and say, «Um, before the end of this year, 2022, where you say here was holy, could you show me how to sort through all this junk?» Because we could sum the whole series up in «cuffed to crap.»
Could you help me with all this so that I don’t walk into another year with the same issues? How many people are deciding they’re not walking into the next year with the same stuff? And everybody’s going to have a new saying when we get to January. What if your new year starts right now? I just said it for three people! I said, «What if your new year starts right now? What if the decisions you make right now can change the life you live in another season?» That means we’ve got to stop loving things that don’t love us back. And just for everybody who needs a working definition—because some people might be lost since I said Cuffing Season—where is that in the Bible? I’m going to help you!
Let me give you this definition real quick: Cuffing Season is a particular time when, because of loneliness and desperation, you settle for a relationship that is way beneath the standard. Because of loneliness and desperation, everybody say this word: «settle.» When God has given you a promise and you go below that promise to appease and satisfy your loneliness and desperation, what you’ve just done is cuffed yourself to something that’s going to end up killing you. Maybe not physically, but it’s going to steal, kill, and destroy your purpose, and steal, kill, and destroy relationships you were supposed to have, because you traded them for relationships you didn’t need.
What I’m telling you right now is that in this series, I’m going to let the cat out of the bag: it’s a secret Deliverance series! I know we don’t say words like that because that scares people; they think it’s going to be like an exorcism! I don’t know—but being delivered just means being brought out of something that had you bound, and somebody came and got you and brought you into a land of protection, peace, and security. God is saying some of you have been so bound with thoughts of anxiety and depression, and through this series, I’m going to rescue you through My word and bring you into a land of peace. Who am I talking to right now? A land of peace and understanding! I’m going to take you from a land, a place, an idea, a mindset of perversion, and I’m going to bring you into a place of purity. I’m going to deliver you.
I believe that deliverance starts in your mind. For so many years, church has been like, «Come to the altar; let me deliver you.» I believe in that; I believe in the laying on of hands. I believe in prayer. But I believe that usually is a catalyst, not the closure of something! I’m going to say stuff that church people don’t really say: it’s a catalyst. It’s where we catapult from! It’s not the closure of something; it’s the beginning of something. So we have to be renewed in our minds. That’s why we have to learn how to pray if you feel cuffed to something. God said, «I’m giving you tools! I want you to be—everybody shout at me—delivered!» Whatever has you bound, God said, «I don’t want you back! I don’t want you tied up! I don’t want you stuck! I want you free!»
But you have to participate with me, okay? See, this is the stuff that God talks to me about. He said, «Michael, I want you free, but you have to participate with me!» We want God to drag us to promised lands when He said, «You’re going to have to walk.» Okay? I don’t know how many parents are here, but I don’t know the pickup age for you. My kids are at the point where Bella is over the pickup age—she’s nine years old! That little woman is stout; she’s a beautiful woman of God! But she still comes to me like, «Daddy, carry me!» Sweetheart, do you hear what I’m saying?
A lot of times, she wants to go places but doesn’t want to put in her effort and energy. Oh, she wants me to get her out of bed, take her to the party, take her to breakfast, take her to… I said, «Baby, if you want to experience what’s on the other side of this sleep—this place of rest—you’re going to have to—everybody say participate!» I just came to tell somebody at the beginning of this series' promise is that your participation matters. God is not going to do what He asked you to do; He’ll be there the whole way. I’m there the whole way, guiding you along like Bella saying, «Okay, now do this; now go here.» But I’m not going to carry you to what you can choose to do.
What are you trying to say to us, Pastor Mike? Many of us need deliverance, and it’s always what God wants to do. However, let me put this first point forth: Deliverance is God’s desire, but our decision. God is not taking blunts out of your mouth; He’s not removing you from anybody’s bed. Well, God, if you just don’t want me to be here, Lord, just make something happen. God, you know how to do it; You’re the God of the universe. God’s not writing your budget for you. «I just need to be better with finances,» but you won’t even write down what you spend. Yet, you’re expecting God to give you more. We know His character: He only gives more to people who steward what they already have. For your finances to change, you don’t need more money; you need a notebook. You missed it. He’s watching what you do with what you have right now. God’s not going to the gym for you.
Oh, God, it’s going to be a long Sunday! What He’s saying is He wants you to be delivered from that, but deliverance has to involve your decision. Somebody say, «It’s up to me.» Ask the children of Israel: God wanted to deliver them, and it should have only taken eleven days to do it, but they would not decide to obey God and follow their leader into the promised land. The problem really wasn’t the promised land; it was their patterns. The problem is the pattern. The reason why we’re bound to certain things is that our mama was, and our dad was, and our big mama was, and our cousin was, and our best friend was.
Now, all we’re doing is following in the same footsteps. Your mouth is how you act under anger; that is the pattern pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Now you are giving it to your kids because you’ve got it, and then you became bound to it. You have not stood up to be delivered from the very thing that you despise. You don’t even like it. Honestly, every time I sin, the incredible feeling of sin lasts only for a short period. If you know anywhere that sin feels great for long periods of time, let me know because it’s usually a build-up to sin, and then you lie, you steal, you have sex, you do whatever. Why? Because it was never meant to satisfy what only God can. But now, you have to make a—everybody say—decision.
Write this down: God’s plan is always the promise, but our patterns delay deliverance. I’m just trying to build this for us so we can get to being uncuffed. We can scream «Break the chains!» like Tasha Cobbs sings, «Break Every Chain.» Chains do not break because of choruses; chains break because of choices. Matthew, do you hear what I just said? Chains break. You can sing these songs till you’re blue in the face, if it does not change your choice. And that’s why I’m saying to you, you have to choose a new pattern. I cannot do the pattern I’ve been doing and think I’m going to get a different result. It’s been the same pattern. I keep going to those same friends even though I’ve moved four times.
How do I find the same group of friends on different coasts? East Coast, West Coast, down South; I’m in the Dirty South, and I’ve found the same people. That’s patterns. Until we submit our patterns to God, bound to something, you need to begin to pray about what patterns you need to put on the altar. Every Thursday, I go here; that might be the issue. Patterns aren’t necessarily bad things; I just need everybody to understand that I’m not talking about things that maybe are horrible; I’m talking about things that may not be beneficial in this season.
So, Pastor Mike, what do we do? Romans 12:2, the scripture that this church is founded on: Do not conform to the—watch this word—pattern of this world, but be transformed by prayer meetings, collective groups, polls on Instagram. It says be transformed by the renewing of your mind. I told y’all deliverance starts here. It says then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will. My goal, okay, out of this entire series, as we go back into this, is to make this very practical for everybody. I’m not trying to be—I hated going to church where the pastor and preacher were in the cloud saying words you’ve never heard of, and you spend 13 minutes looking it up on your phone—is that a real word? They just want you to be impressed with their knowledge, but they don’t actually want you to get their knowledge, because the only thing that separates them from you is their knowledge. You know people that know the game; it’s like, «Put me on game.» Like, «I got these shoes for $9.99.» Where? Tell me where.
Don’t you want to sell the same shoes? You selfish! We should not be doing that in church. If I find out a revelation, I should be trying to share it with everybody. Okay, in this series, I said, «God, would You help me practically share what I can with everybody?» Not like I know everything, but the little bit that I know. God said, «Alright, share with them what I gave you at the beginning of the year.» Oh, I said, «Lord, that’s going to expose me; that’s going to make me look like maybe the pastor should know more than what he does.» He said, «No, no, no. From Pastor to plumber, you’re My people. This stuff works for everybody if you submit to it.»
So I’m going to tell you what God told me at the beginning of the year. Look how I wrote it down in my journal: He said, «Mike’s points for progress,» and He gave me three things. He said, «I want you to examine, and this is what I want to do through this series. I’m just trying to provide you all a framework.» Okay? He said, «I want you to examine in 2022 your principles, your patterns, and your parameters.» He said, «Every answer you need will be found as you examine what are the patterns you do that you just think are a part of your life? What are the principles you believe? Even if you think, 'I’m always on time, ' hold on. We know your pattern; we’ve seen your principles.» Like really examine that. And then He said, «I need you to examine where your parameters are; where are the borders of your life? Who can come in and say something, and who can distract you when I said to do something?»
Oh, y’all don’t want to talk about it. There are some people you’re not checking for, but there’s one phone call that will make you disobey God. Uh-huh. Yeah, yeah. You won’t go help the church, but if somebody calls you from your job and gives you a raise, you’ll put your kids aside. I tell people all the time, «You want to find out where somebody’s at? Just give them a couple zeros; give them a couple dollars, and we will see where their principles, priorities, and parameters are.» Through this cuffing series, God said, «Every week, just at the top of your paper for everybody taking notes, I need you to write those three things down because I believe God’s going to begin to show you that’s a pattern for you.»
You have a pattern of gossiping when other people get blessed. The pattern is—oh, well, God, I didn’t really say anything—saying something is a full sentence! «Oh, you know they just got married.» That’s all. I better stop. Playing with me! That is a full sentence that can change a whole room. But for many of us, that’s a pattern. Why is that a pattern? Because I believe the principle that if somebody is doing better than me, I’m less valuable. See, if you identify the pattern, then maybe you can identify the principle that may not be rooted in the Word of God, but rooted in your own insecurities. Then you can say, «No, I’m going to draw a parameter. Anytime somebody gets something, I’m going to celebrate them.» This is my new principle; this is my new kingdom belief, and I can’t make it up out of myself. I need to go to the Word of God: «Rejoice with those who rejoice.»
Okay, now I need a principle that’s higher than my own principles that creates new parameters. As we go through this, I’m feeling hype already because I feel freedom coming to people because it doesn’t start with us shouting; it starts with our thinking. We’re going to be trained. Somebody say, «I’m going to be transformed,» just in faith. Somebody just say, «I’m going to be transformed.» Okay, so today we’re going to continue in this series, but some of y’all are already deep in thought, so let’s play a game. Let’s come up for one second, and let’s play a game. Okay, I love music. I’ve been in the studio for the past couple of weeks working on Transformation Worship’s new worship work, and you know how you know something?
This is going to be a sound for a generation, and it’s going to be a movement. I’m so excited! We’ve been in the studio, and sometimes in the studio we get into discussions about who the best musician or singer is. What I found out through conversations like that is some of my favorite musicians were not solo artists; they were groups of people. Does anybody love groups? I know we don’t do it much anymore; I know there aren’t many groups around, but back in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, all the way up to the 2000s, there were groups of people. I need you in the comments and in the room to yell out some of your favorite groups! Come on! Of all time. Now don’t come talk to me. What’d you say? Okay, who else? The Jackson 5. I’ll go with that! Put some groups on the screen! The Beatles, Jackson 5, Rolling Stones, Earth, Wind & Fire—that’s my daddy’s favorite right there!
Do you remember Run DMC? Come on, that’s good! Give me something from the 90s—the boy bands—put some more out there! NSYNC, 98 Degrees, Blackstreet, Boyz II Men. Who? Put them all up there! Some of y’all’s favorite groups. Come on! What’d you say? Who? One Direction? That’s the wrong direction! Uh-huh! The Winans! Come on! Somebody else! Okay, so if someone said Drew Hill? Now we’re talking! Commissioned! Y’all are so churchy! All of these groups are phenomenal. I’m going to have to be honest; there were some groups that stood above others depending on when you were born. But I would like to say Destiny’s Child changed a generation. «Can you pay my bills? Can you pay my telephone bills? Can you pay my auto loans, and maybe we could chill?»
What? I don’t think you do! That’s what I’m talking about! Yes! There are some people in here who just can’t even vibe with you! Okay, the crazy thing when we look at all of these groups—Nine out of ten of them are no longer together. They made money together; they created a life together; they did all of these different things together. I started to think about what caused most of these groups to crumble at some point. Watch this: there became confusion about who was in control. As I began to think about what we needed to launch this series, God said to me, «Michael, that doesn’t just apply to groups that sing music.» He said that same cancer has come into My church, and My children are confused about who is in control. I’m about to preach this right now! I gotta start this because everything that God has to say, you won’t even listen to because you think you’re God.
This week I’m talking to people who are cuffed to control. Oh, it’s going to be quiet in here today. The reason I gotta talk about this is because this was completely and totally me! Anything I was in, I had to know. I had to know what was happening; I had to know where we were going! I had to be in control. Now I’m going to put myself out there, and hopefully y’all aren’t going to leave me out here by myself, but for some of y’all, you’re control freaks too! You won’t even do stuff without knowing: who’s going to be there? How you gonna control the invite list? Not even your party! We’re going to be there! I gotta figure out who! And what this cancer has done is not just tried to make us control our situations; it’s tried to make us control our Savior too!
The reason why you’re buckling under the pressure of life is because you’re trying to control something that you were never meant to control. Nobody was meant to be in charge except God, and we have bought into this lie that somehow we know better than he does, and a lot of the problems in my life and your life stem from this delusional thinking that somehow you are actually in control. Do you know how delusional that thought process is? 2020 exposed all of us, yeah, I mean for real. But do you know what the craziest thing about 2020 is? Two years later, people are back thinking the same thing, like they really are in control. Let’s think about it for real. If the power goes out at your house, what are you going to do? What are you going to do?
Call the electric company, but if they don’t answer, you get candles. You’re not going to know where the button is to turn your electricity back on because you’re not in control; you think you are. You’ll call them and cuss them out, and I’m sure the bill is high, and if they don’t respond, you’re coming down. But the truth of the matter is, if they decide to keep your electricity off, who knows where the button is? Come on, let’s be real! Who knows where the button to turn the electricity back on is? We have the illusion of control, but we are not in control. Some of y’all are getting all fidgety right now because the only reason you’re here is that you made it here by yourself and made decisions that worked for you, and I’m saying, I feel you, I feel you, I feel you. I was like that, but aren’t you tired? Aren’t you worn out from having to play God?
How exhausting it must be to put on the coat of Elohim every day and walk outside to play Savior for your whole family. Oh God, and be the one who is going to take your job to the next level. How exhausting it must feel to have to be in control. But I believe, by the presence of God, there is a group of people that is going to unshackle themselves from control, and we are going to put it back in its rightful place, at the feet of Jesus. Oh my God, hold on, I’m getting ahead of myself! There is a freedom that has come over my life when I uncuffed myself from control. And the truth of the matter is, right now, write this down: human creation was never meant to command or control.
Let’s go back to the original picture: Adam and Eve didn’t build anything in the garden; they didn’t pick out anything. They were not given control. Watch what they were given: Authority. We, as a generation, have confused the difference between control and Authority. We try to take control when God wants us to borrow His authority. And so, we don’t think we can do anything unless we’re the one in charge, and we’ve got this and that. God said, «Would you just please calm down and just borrow some of My authority? Rule, subdue, dominate on the earth; name all the animals, eat from every tree except that one in the middle! I’m in control of that one.» And what does the enemy come to do at the very beginning? Convince you and me, through Adam and Eve, that we should have control instead of God. Oh, that’s nasty! And what did Adam and Eve do? They took something that was not theirs; they took control.
Have you ever had somebody come in and act like your life is going chaotic? They’re like, «I gotta take control of this situation!» Be careful when you come in with the attitude of a Creator while you are just a creation. This family is out of control? I’m about to take control of it! They don’t want me to come in there, 'cause if I come in, even if you may not say those words — because you’re not the loud, boisterous type who tries to take control — some of you are manipulative silently, and you’re taking control with your presence, when you give it and when you don’t. Uh-oh! Do you know that you can be in control even when you don’t show up? Oh, I’m coming for you! Your silence doesn’t get you out of this; you didn’t say anything, and yet you said a whole lot. It’s because you’re using manipulation, using your gifts, using your money, using everything you have to try to control people, places, and situations.
God said, «I don’t want you to be bound to this thing that I never intended for you to carry.» Adam and Eve were never supposed to make the decision to know certain things; God said, «I’ve got that under control.» Oh, all you have to do is enjoy this: every other tree is yours; there are apples on that tree over there. Why are you focused on the one space I told you I had control over? It’s because the enemy will suggest to you that somehow God does not know best. And that’s why I want to take you to 1 Corinthians 6:12. It says, «Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be, watch this, enslaved, cuffed, controlled by anything» (Amplified version) or brought under its power, allowing it to control me.
The truth of the matter is, most of us are cuffed to control, but we’re also being controlled. Golly, yeah, we’re going to definitely need two weeks on this. It’s like going through a brick wall right now. You’re like, «Uh.» You’re being controlled right now. One person can make one comment about you, and ruin your whole day — and what do they even know? You look a little chubby in that sweater; I don’t even know you! And now you’re sitting with a whole pint of Ben and Jerry’s, crying over someone you didn’t even invite into your life. I’m trying to be very real because we don’t think about it like they have control over us. Y’all know why you make me do anything? They can’t if they don’t have power over you. But the truth is, there are many people, places, and things that have power over us that aren’t the Lord of our lives.
The biblical word for this is «idols.» Anything that takes the place of God is an idol! Okay, so we’ve got to ask, who’s in control of our lives? Because some of us are playing ourselves. You can’t turn the hair on your head gray; you see this spot right here? It’s dyed right now because I had to use a little Beijing on it. But on Monday, this little spot won’t grow hair. I’ve tried everything; I’ve put ointments on it. My daddy has a full head of hair! No joke! My brother Gabe has a full beard; he doesn’t even get his hair cut right! I’ve been trying for decades to grow hair right here, and I can’t add one hair to my face. What makes me think that I can control the years that God has placed me here in this life and have a better plan than Him? The only thing that can do that is delusion. And the truth is, for many of us, we have been cuffed to it.
Right now, you’re about to turn the message off. I’m going to sit here and listen to this, and what you’re doing right now is you’re about to try to take that control back. You know God told you to watch this message and tune in today. Why are you just sitting there? Why did someone send you this link? Because God is trying to get your attention; He wants His spot back in all of our lives. If you’re the greatest planner, He’ll let you be it. Do it, and until you get tired of that, He’ll let you pretend to be in control. I’ll let you play make-believe. I’ll let you dress up like Me; you just void the power! You have no way to make it actually happen, and today I’m asking us as a church: could we uncuff ourselves from the idea of actually being in control and go to the one who actually is? I got a riddle for you right here: What’s one thing that’s in control but doesn’t have control that wants control so that things don’t get out of control?
I’m going to say it one more time because somebody’s really trying to figure it out: What’s one thing that’s in control but doesn’t have control so that things don’t get out of control? Everybody lift your hands; say, «Me!» No, God’s definitely in control. We think we’re in control, trying to keep things from going out of control. And God’s saying, «Would you just stop?» Let me tell you how this played out in my life. I’m an 8 on the Enneagram. If you know anything about Enneagrams, I’m a challenger; I don’t like to be controlled. I was the kid that people would say, «Everyone line up,» and I would just sit on the floor just because they said it. I don’t know what it is in me; it’s just built into me.
And the Holy Spirit, um, confronted me at the beginning of the year very strongly. He said, «For where I’m taking you in your life, your ministry, and your marriage, you’re going to have to delegate a lot. You’re going to have to give things away; you can’t have stuff in your control.» I was like, «Lord, I don’t think you heard from Yourself. I don’t think you — maybe you need to try that one one more time.» Like, nobody knows what’s best. And I started going to God and said, «I’m stripping you of control, and I’m giving you closeness.» I don’t want closeness; control is comfortable for me. He said, «No, no, I’m going to be with you. I’m going to be close to you. The steps of a good man or a good woman are ordered. I’m not even going to have to yell them out; you’re going to be so close to Me.» I’m going to be able to just speak them, and the Lord of the universe is telling me, «I want to be close to you.» And I was like, «I’d really rather control.»
Now, I want you to ask yourself: would you rather have God—the one who actually knows what’s best—so close that you could hear, sense, smell, and taste Him, or would you prefer to control your situation? If you don’t answer honestly, you might deceive yourself. The truth is, many of us secretly choose control over closeness. The reason is that the devil is trying to tempt us to step out of the position God desires us to be in to fulfill our purpose.
Okay, let me explain. Go back to Adam and Eve in the garden. Think about this: the devil’s first attempt to undermine God’s creation was through counterfeit control. The first time he targeted all of us, he said, «You take control. Be in control, and disconnect yourself from closeness.» The Bible tells us that God walked in the cool of the garden every day with Adam; they were close. What was the enemy’s goal? To ensure they didn’t think they were amazing, but instead to sever their closeness with God. Control cuts off that closeness. Oh my God! I’m telling you, I’m giving you keys right now. The reason you need to stop acting like you’re in control and give it back to God is that, when you take control, only one of two versions of God will show up: the fake one—your version, or the real one—Him.
It cuts off your closeness to God in relation to your situation. «How am I going to reach my purpose? How am I going to do this job? Where should I move?» All of this leads God to say, «Would you please come get close to Me so that I can show you My plan for your life?» That counterfeit called control is only meant to separate you from Me.
So, when the devil convinces Adam and Eve to take control, they get cut off from the garden, cut off from provision, and they are given pain in childbirth. We all know that babies were supposed to come easily, but now it’s painful. We’ve been given all of this because the severing of closeness brought about by counterfeit control still echoes from Genesis 2 to 2022.
And let me tell you, this is me just trying to process all of this. As I begin to study, I think Adam and Eve got a little cocky because they were around this amazing Creator all the time. Imagine if you were watching God pull the necks of giraffes up—come on, the authority they were given! They named the animals, they started walking in their identities, and some of their ideas actually worked. People recognized them, and they began to think they were what they were next to.
When the enemy came to tempt them, they somehow got confused and believed they were like God. The one thing he wanted them not to do was to take control; the enemy convinced them they needed to figure it out, to make things happen. Am I the only one here? Aren’t those the same temptations the enemy presents to you? «You’re going to have to make a way now. You’re going to have to figure this out by yourself.»
But no, you need to go back to your family. You know she has some savings—go convince her you need help. God is my provider, Jehovah Jireh; He’s the one who will supply all of my needs. But I won’t go to you because that seems iffy, and I have to use faith for that. So, let me take control and let someone believe a story. «Let me lie on my taxes. Let me claim dependents I don’t have. Let me take control of this situation. Let me get a PPP loan I don’t need, and make up a fake business.» These are our feeble attempts.
Maybe I’m not hitting on your situation, but I know some of you dress a certain way to feel in control. Don’t play with me! You put on all of those heels and designer clothes just to attract attention and feel powerful. You act like you haven’t been in this position before. You want to seem like you’ve got it all together, living in an apartment but rocking a Louis Vuitton belt—are you kidding me? That belt could be your rent for six months.
We create illusions of success and control: you calculate everything to make it look like you’ve figured out your life. But when your family visits twice a year, the façade crumbles; you’re just as broken as you were in college because you refuse to deal with your real issues.
You want the illusion that you have it all together, but you won’t go to counseling for your rocky marriage because you’re too proud to listen to anyone else. You’re on the verge of losing your significant other because you refuse to let anyone help you navigate through your issues. Don’t pray for what you won’t allow God to change—that’s wasted breath.
Today, I must confront this cancer of cocky Christianity, where people do not follow what God says because, in reality, they are in control, not Him. Some might say, «Cocky? I don’t understand that.» Try this on for size: it’s overconfidence. We start saying things like, «He did it before, He’ll do it again,» but the truth is, He did it before while you were submitted and praying.
This time, you’ve stopped praying, you’re unsubmitted, and now you’re not living in His will. Then don’t harbor resentment toward Him when He doesn’t come through; He’s simply allowing you to face the consequences of your choices.
Now, allow me to share this: it’s possible that some of the barriers in your life exist because you’ve known the right thing to do but didn’t do it simply because you didn’t want to. Has anyone else ever been there? You know you need to do this; God has confirmed it, and yet you choose to ignore it.
«Please! I need you to be real with me! Have you ever felt that push to do something God confirmed for you so clearly, perhaps a stranger even gave you the means to do it, but you didn’t? You just didn’t want to engage in the effort—whether it was attending a small group or sharing your testimony.
You think, „I’m supposed to be singing, but I don’t want to practice. I’d rather just improvise.“ And then God asks, „So, you’re the lord of your life? I can give you instructions, provision, vision, and plans, but you still won’t obey?“ Do you realize how scary it is to be in a position where you’re so controlling that God allows you to remain in that state?
Today, we are forfeiting God’s purpose for our lives because we believe we know better than the One who created us. I know it’s uncomfortable, but it’s necessary. Just in case any of you doubt Adam and Eve were the first examples of the devil using pride, arrogance, and control to sever closeness to God, let’s remember: the devil’s name was Lucifer—he was the head angel right in front of God.
All of the praise was directed toward Him. Because of his proximity to God, he was walking in his calling and anointing, using what he was given. But he got confused and assumed he was in control. That’s what control does; it convinces others to lose closeness to God. He deceived one-third of the angels to follow him and cut off their connection to the One who created them.
If he tried it there and with Adam and Eve, make a note: cocky Christianity is birthed from the illusion of control. It is an illusion. God wants to give you His plan for your life, and we see precedence for this throughout the Bible. He desires for us to submit things to Him and to change us from the inside out. However, we must reach a point where we are not controlled by anything except Him. We need to figure out how to navigate this life without letting social media, our church family, our biological families, finance, or the cancel culture dictate our actions.
I’m only bound to what He’s speaking to me right now, and I have decreased so that He can increase. Instead of trying to take control, we must choose to stay close to Him. This whole year, God has been saying to me, „Michael, just stay close to Me. You don’t have to be in control. You don’t have to figure it out. You don’t have to protect yourself—just stay close.“ My daughters realized that I’m the ATM in our house. When we go to the store, the mall, or the fair, they often say, „I want to stay with you, Daddy.“ Initially, it took me a moment to recognize this; I’m a new father, and my oldest isn’t old yet.
When we’re walking through the fair, my daughter says, „Daddy, I really want that bear.“ But I know that the game is rigged; I might not win. „Dad, I know you can!“ she insists. I thought about the amount I could’ve spent on Amazon for a life-size bear. But something about her wanting to be close to me made me want to perform to meet her desires. That bear was not a necessity; it was a desire. When a dog runs down the street while they play outside, Bella doesn’t go to the neighbor’s house and knock on the door for help; she calls for me. She knows that being close and relying on me makes her safe.
If you don’t uncuff from control, you’ll discover the hard way that you lack the ability to provide for your own needs. You can’t make yourself safe or achieve peace—those things come only from God. Closeness is more valuable than control. I’m trying to change your perspective right now. Closeness to God is more valuable. As a man in my household, if something is off with my wife and I can’t figure out what’s wrong, my closeness to God can change my marriage. I can pray, „God, show me what to do. Father, tell me.“
I can even be at the gym and hear Him say, „Michael, cancel the meeting tomorrow.“ „But God, I need to do that!“ I might argue. „In three weeks, I’m going to need to finish this project.“ But see, God doesn’t always give us all the details when He asks us to obey. He tells me to cancel that meeting and, instead, take my wife out for a movie. I might think that’s counterproductive for my leadership, but God is asking me, „Who’s in control right now?“ When I obeyed Him, the next two days brought marital bliss. King, the movie, is like how could it not make sense? It’s because I’m not in control. He brought together what was not clicking because I let him be Lord of my life, and that’s what people don’t know.
Everybody wants God to be their Savior, to rescue them, but then they don’t want to follow His lead. They love the Savior; they say, „I’ll wear the T-shirt, I’ll tell a couple of people that you did it.“ But then God asks, „How can you call me Lord but won’t let me lead you?“ You’re bound by control. I’m telling you what to do; I’m giving you instructions; I’m moving you forward. Yes, I might ask you to take a job that doesn’t pay as much as the one you’re making right now, but I know what three years from now looks like. The person you need to meet to start a relationship with, to get to where I have you, is at that job, and here you are saying you’re about to lose fifteen thousand dollars a year. You don’t even know that I have something on the way for you that you’re not even aware of, but you won’t leave your comfort because you’ve got to have it your way.
I feel like sometimes God is just saying, „I’ve told them, I keep telling them, 'Alright, I’m going to wake up tomorrow, and I’m going to tell them again: grace and mercy.'“ No, I said that grace and mercy know every morning when they’re going to listen. When will they know that I died so they didn’t have to be in control? When are they going to recognize that control is not what they want? They want the benefits of someone being in control who actually loves and cares for them. It’s so much easier being a child than being a parent. Now, I know how y’all feel, but the orange juice just shows up in the refrigerator for my children. For me? I have to go get it, squeeze it, find it, pay for it, work for it. God is saying, „Would you give up being the adult in our relationship and just be My child?“ Y’all, I’m seeing minds unlocking right now. I’m seeing people just do what I ask you to do, when I ask you to do it, how I ask you to do it. Come love on Me; come sit with Me; come stay with Me, stay close to Me. Let’s do the things you love to do.
Hey, let Me teach you something; let Me show you something. But do not take the role of the parent in this relationship because you don’t know what the sacrifice was to bear the burden of being in control. You don’t want this. You want to be comforted by a Father who has everything under control. I’m telling you, you won’t be able to receive anything else from this sermon series because God is going to start teaching us how to actually live, and the stuff I have to say after this means you might have to change some things. Okay? It may mean like God’s going to say through His Word, „Don’t live like this in this house.“ You may think, „Fine, I won’t live in this house then. I’m going to go…“ Y’all know the classic line every teenager says, „Fine, I’m going to move out; I’m going to get my phone turned off so I can do what I want to do.“ And God is saying, „Please don’t move out of this house because you don’t want to do what I ask you to do. Let’s talk about it; let’s get an understanding; let’s communicate.“ But don’t take control—surrender it!
Philippians 4:6-7 says, „Don’t worry about anything. Instead, here’s the option: pray about everything. Tell Dad what you need, and then watch this—it messed me up.“ Tell God what you need; tell Dad what you need, and thank Him. Thank you, Dad, for all You do. Thank you for buying me this pink jacket. Thank you, Dad, for making sure I had food yesterday. Thank you, Dad. Like, it’s not the apartment I want, but thank you, God. See, there should be thankfulness every time we gather and get up in the morning. Thank you, God. Come on, just take five seconds wherever you are right now: thank you, God, for keeping me. Thank you, God, for allowing me to see You in a new way. Thank you, God, for giving me the job I do have. Thank you, God, for the health that I do have. Thank you, God. He says just tell Dad about everything; thank Him for what He’s already done.
Then something crazy happens: then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your heart and your mind as you live in Christ Jesus. Y’all, when I saw this scripture after God talked to me about not being in control and just being close, God said to me, „Michael, why does anybody on this Earth want to be in control? Because they want peace and they want to be guarded.“ The only reason I want to be in control is that you probably aren’t going to treat me like I would treat me. Let’s be honest: if you make my plate, you won’t put as much mac and cheese on it as I want. So, I want control because the truth of the matter is, if I cut through all the fluff, I really want protection and peace. That’s all I want. That’s why I take control—because nobody’s going to misuse me, nobody will manipulate me, nobody’s going to do me dirty.
And now you’re playing God. But look what this scripture says. I want you to find the revelation: it says, „Don’t worry about anything; pray about everything. Tell God what you need; thank Him for what He’s already done.“ And then, everybody say „then.“ If you do those four things, look what the next part says: then you will experience God’s peace. That means the situation didn’t change. I need everybody to stay with me; just lock in for two more minutes. He said, „If you just bring it to Dad, thank Dad, tell Him, 'Hey, this is what I need, ' peace comes to you.“ The situation can be exactly the same, but because you got close to Him, peace came. Because you got close to Him, it says it was a peace that surpasses understanding.
Oh, I don’t even know why I’m not tripping anymore; I don’t even know! They just gave me a diagnosis; it’s like I don’t even know how long I’m going to live. But why do I have peace? They just told me that we can’t get back in this building, but why do I have this peace? The peace is not connected to the outcome. The peace is connected to the closeness of the One who is actually in control. Oh my God! Y’all, this set me free. I don’t know; there’s a chain that broke. When stuff is going crazy in the church and this is happening and that is happening, and it feels like everything’s getting frantic in my business, God says, „Stop trying to take control of the stuff.“ I get five phone calls and now I’m saying, „Tammy, this, this, and this; Bree, this, this, and this; Natalie, tell them no.“ And God says, „Are you in control of this? Stop everything that’s urgent and do what’s important. Get with Me, and I’ll tell people, 'Give me a day.'“ Am I telling the truth? I’ll say, „Ah, that’s too many numbers, that’s too much money, that’s too much.“ I’ve got to get close to the One who’s in control.
Why do I take a sabbatical every year? Because I’ve got to get close to the One who’s absolutely in control. Why do I have to tell my wife, „Let’s talk about that just in a little bit. I promise I’ll come back to it; I just need to go figure it out with the One who’s actually in control.“ You can keep playing yourself like you’re in control; it makes you look like a clown. What you have are pieces of peace. You’re piecing together your peace as long as the aesthetic feels good, and I make this much money, and these people view me like this. If one little thing gets out of place, you’re jacked up, trying to please people, tap dancing to make them still like you, and trying to people-please all because you’re trying to hold together your pieces of peace. And God said, „Would you let all of that fall and just come get…“ What are you saying, Pastor? I’m saying you don’t have to have control to have peace. That’s the reason most people are trying to be in control. It ain’t happening in this house. In this house, we’re going to have peace. No! We’re all scared of you! Let’s be very clear; we’re just scared of you and we don’t say what we actually desire. We talk to other people about what’s really going on, and you’ll find out two decades from now because we’ll be in counseling about how you treated us, because your house has to have peace. No, I can’t lose control!
Hold on, wait. This is the house that God has built; He’s the One that’s in control! He knows when the music’s supposed to come out; He knows when the church is supposed to open. I mean, that was one of the hardest things in the past two and a half years: sitting here closed when we could go and rent a building and start meeting. That wasn’t the problem; God said, „No, I’m in control of this. I’m working stuff out.“ Well, what about the people that are going to other churches? They need this! What about the… I got it! What am I supposed to do? God said, „Focus on your wife; spend time getting close to Me. I’m going to work on your control issue. While everything’s shut down, I’m going to open you up.“ It was during the pandemic that some of the transformation that would have probably taken me another decade happened because I just got close to Him. He started pulling off layers of stuff, and I realized, „Mike, you don’t have to be in control; you just have to be close to the One who is.“ I can still have peace and still have my heart and my mind guarded without carrying the burden. My back was not built to handle the burden of our Creator, and some of you are weary, tired, and frustrated because you feel like you’ve got to be in control, but that weight was never meant for you to carry.
Okay, what has my new prayer been? I’m going to tell you, and then we’re going to go home. And this is what I’m praying for each of you during this series: my new prayer has been for, watch this word, meekness. I know we don’t talk about it a lot. I know we don’t; it’s like… but it’s in the Bible a whole bunch. But meekness, the simple definition, all it is is power under control. God’s saying you don’t have to dim your light. You don’t have to not be everything I created you to be. You don’t have to shy away from using all your giftings. He said, „I just need all of that to be under My control.“ So, when I say that you have tons of money, do y’all know that’s why so many people don’t give? I mean, they literally say America could end world hunger with the amount of money we have, but people don’t give like that because they’ve got to be like, „If anything cracks off, I’ve got that money!“ Because money makes me feel secure.
I’ll never… I don’t know if you’ve ever gone on a vacation, bro. It’s devastating! You just feel out of control! It’s like if anything happened… if the rental car… I don’t know about y’all, but sometimes I went to the airport and I just got stuck where God has brought me from. But I would go and I would have exactly the amount of money, and then they’d be like, „We’ve got a $35 hold.“ I was like, „Oh, you can’t hold anything! Do not hold anything! You know what? Never mind; I’ll Uber!“ Because if you hold anything, I’m not going to be able to pay for the hotel.
Okay, yeah, but somehow we think that money is going to make us feel in control. I’ve had a little bit; I’ve had a lot. It doesn’t do it. It doesn’t give you an illusion that you’re in control, but what you really need is to be close to the One who’s in control. No amount of money can create miracles. What I need is to be close to the One who’s in control of the therapies my son needs, in control of the people that we need to come help in the country. And can I tell you a testimony? Part of me giving over control of a situation that’s so hard and I don’t understand is that God began to send people into our lives. I’m here to report to you that this past Friday, MJ started big kids' school with his sister! Y’all don’t have to shout with me, but I know the One who knows the number of his days. I give God praise for what they said couldn’t happen!
You sent me a video of my son sitting in a class, not disturbing the other kids, and it’s like… what? Oh no, I’m sorry! Y’all don’t… I’m talking about what has happened because I relinquished control. I’d be an alcoholic somewhere, addicted to pills if I was trying to figure out how to help my son. And if I started thinking about, „What happens when he’s 25? What happens when all his sisters are out of the house? What happens then?“ God said the lilies don’t even worry about their dress every day, and Solomon in all his splendor was not dressed as well as those lilies right over there on that hill. I did that! What can you do by worrying about today? Just get close to the one who is in control. I began to pray for meekness and power. Somebody said, „I have power, but it’s under control.“ Say that one more time, „I have power, but it’s under control.“ With faith—one more time: „I have power, but it’s under God’s control.“
So now, when I can use all my influence under God’s control, when I can use all my gifts under God’s control, when I can use all of my abilities under God’s control, then what happens? Transformation! You become God’s agent to represent Him on this Earth, and that’s why I’m believing that as we uncuff from control, we actually begin to pray that God would make us meek.
Do y’all know what Psalms 37:11 says? This is crazy! I love the Bible. What is meekness? Power under control. Why do people want control? Because they actually want peace. Psalms 37 says, „But the meek will inherit the Earth,“ which is what a translation says, and enjoy peace. You can either have control or you can have peace and prosperity. Which one do you want? No, for real— which one do you want? If you want peace and prosperity, put your power under His control, and the result will be a life full of peace and prosperity.
Church, it’s time for us to acknowledge that for many of us, we’ve been in the wrong seat in our lives. We’ve been in the seat of the Lord; we’ve been on the throne of our own hearts, only doing the things we like to do. God is saying, „Could I have my seat back? Could I be the Lord, not just the Savior? Could I be the Lord of your life? Can I have control again?“
Here are four things that control kills—just write them down because we’ve got to go, and I’m going to pick up again next week. If you have to be in control, control kills contentment. If you have to be in control, you’re never satisfied with right now because you’re too busy figuring out how you’re going to hold up tomorrow.
Oh, stop! Stop being God! You can’t control tomorrow; you don’t know what’s going to happen, but you can have peace today and peace tomorrow because you’re close to the one who knows it all. The second thing is that control kills collaboration. There are people you’re supposed to be connected to that you are not because you have to be the big dog. You have to be the boss, calling all the shots; you have to be the only one in control.
And again, I’m not saying you have to have a boisterous personality. Some of you are what I call „silent assassins“ of manipulation. You’re in control and, no, you don’t say anything; your attitude, your ideas, everything, speaks loud. You haven’t been to your family’s get-together in six years because of that one situation where you were going to control the situation. There are people that God says, „I meant for y’all to be better together. I meant for you to collaborate. Who cares who gets the credit?“
That’s why I’m going to have to do a series called „Cuffed to Credit“ because some of us won’t do what God called us to do because we want the credit. Oh no, that was me! Who cares? It’s helping people! You’re still getting paid in the background; you had to let everybody know it was you! Many people are forfeiting their calling because they want the credit.
And God said if you have to be the only one in control—that’s why I love our church! That’s why I love the collaboration of every ethnicity, tribe, tongue, and age group. This is where God abides. Everybody you’re called to do life with doesn’t look like you, talk like you, or sound like you. If that’s your circle right now, you might be too in control, cutting off the collaboration that God wants to do.
I could stay there all day. The third thing is that control kills correction. Watch this! If LeBron James needs a shooting coach, come on, let’s think about this! If Michael Jordan needs a trainer, if your favorite athlete or if Serena Williams has a coach—they are paying these people for correction. Now, when you did it, your form was off! „Hey, don’t lose your temper out there; it messes with your performance.“
When you’re the only one that can be in control, you kill correction, which in turn kills your ability to grow. Correction is beautiful, done in love because it causes you to grow. So many people are not growing because they have no place in their life for correction, redirection, or tweaking. They’re the only ones in control.
„I’m too old for that!“ That’s why some people can’t even accept me as their pastor. I’m just the dude they listen to during the week because I’m too young to tell them anything, hmm, but the Spirit of God is older than both of us, and this word is real. If I’m saying what comes from here and it’s impacting your life, could it be that it’s not the messenger or the message? It’s the person who’s listening who still is cuffed.
If we uncuff from control, we can get corrected. Hey, people think you’re mean, and I know you’re not mean, so you need to work on your resting face. „Well, this is just my face! This is the face I was born with!“ But what I’m saying is, just as aware as you are in dressing—when you walk into a room, let your face know that life hasn’t been through a World War six times and that you’re actually happy to be here!
That small correction, people won’t even take because they’ve got to be in control. Lastly, control kills communication. If you have to be in control, you won’t even be vulnerable enough to tell people what’s really going on. This was my problem. If I show you what I’m really dealing with as a human being, maybe somehow that’ll be ammunition for you to take my control away from me. So, I always have to have it together. I always have to know how to answer. I always have to know what’s going on, so I keep this appearance of control so nobody unseats me.
In doing that, I cut off communication to what I actually need. I remember sitting in my office with my executive team; it was one of the most defining moments of my life when I broke down crying. I talk about this often because it has happened maybe two times in my whole life—I don’t cry a lot; I don’t like it; it just feels unnecessary. The truth is I saw it as weakness because it made me look vulnerable, and maybe I would lose control.
I told that team I needed them. I was going through some stuff, and I just broke down crying! I can feel it right now; you know that feeling when it gets stuck in your throat and it burns? That was the first time in my life that I was in a community where I felt like I didn’t have to be in control. „Ah, I need help.“ That was my whole thing: „I need help! I need help to run this church. I don’t know what I’m doing! I have sons, I have daughters that need attention, people leaving the church, people coming to the church; I can’t hold this together! I can’t convince people to be here! I’ve never done this. We have tax laws, we have money, we have city audiences; I need help!“
And what Aaron said last week was, „It was in my weakness.“ It was in that moment where I was vulnerable, and I got out of the control seat that God said, „Here you go; I can make you strong.“ Do you know who actually looks at you with more love when you release control? God! He’s more attracted to you being like, „Here, take this, take that, I just want you.“
He said, „I can do that! I’ll promote you; I’ll give you more; I’ll bring the people around you to do it! I’ll do whatever you need me to do; I just need you to know that closeness is more valuable than control.“ Everyone, please stand right now. We’re currently living in a home where we have a landlord, and I’ve never had a landlord before. Having a landlord is kind of cool because if anything breaks, I’m not in control. „Hey y’all, the air conditioner broke,“ and it’s their job to take care of that property! My question is, would you let God be your landlord—the territory of your mind, the territory of your heart, the territory of your feelings when they get broken?
Because sometimes my feelings can be broken. If He’s the Lord of it, it’s not on me to fix it by myself. I have to participate, but I ask Him to come in. Today, I want us to pray that we would allow God to be our landlord again. Would you lift your hands wherever you are?
This is just the start of the series, y’all, but I believe this will start something powerful. I’m going to week two next week because I have a whole other situation to discuss. Is it okay if I go to week two of „Uncuffed to Control“ next week? Alright, I’m going! This was just to get y’all ready, but nothing else will change if we’re still in the seat of control. Today, I want to end by praying for the areas of your life where you have been in control, and I want to ask the Holy Spirit to give us the courage to surrender those areas: my marriage, my life, my family, my finances. Let’s just ask Him to take control of those areas right now!
Didn’t it say to pray about everything? Before we leave here, before you turn on your phone, there could be a peace that passes all understanding that comes to your situation. Hands lifted everywhere right now!
Father, in the name of Jesus, today we come before you and we surrender every area where we have been playing God, where we’ve been taking control. Right now, we surrender control and we want closeness. Father God, I’m asking you, according to your word, as we bring all of our cares and worries to you today, I thank you that the heavy burden of being weighed down by the cares of this life and controlling the times and seasons, knowing when things are supposed to happen, when we’re going to get married, when we’re going to have kids, and when we’re going to move into another house, we relinquish control today and bring our whole lives back to you.
Oh, I feel the presence of God today! Father, I give You my marriage; I give You my business. Come on, right now start telling God the things that you’re giving Him control over. God, I give You my thoughts, I give You my ideas, I give You my career! Come on, Church, we’re going to pray right now and we’re going to thank God—we’re going to do what the scripture says. Father God, we give You everything right now. We give You our hearts, we give You our minds, we give You our souls, we give You our desires.
Right now, come on, we give You our plans! Come on, Church, we will no longer be cuffed to control! Father, we are giving You our ideas, what we thought about our lives, what we thought about our families. We are giving You our friend groups right now! God, we’re uncuffing from control. We don’t have to know everything at every moment. Father, because You do, as we walk with You and talk with You and live with You, we don’t have to worry about tomorrow!
We don’t have to worry about next year! We can stay and rest in You today. Father, as a generation and as a church, we are coming to uncuff from control. We are putting You back in Your rightful place in our lives as the Lord! You’re over this land, You’re over my mind, You’re over my future, You number my days. God, we surrender all!
Oh, I feel the presence of God today! Father, I give You my marriage; I give You my business. Come on, right now start telling God the things that you’re giving Him control over. God, I give You my thoughts, I give You my ideas, I give You my career! Come on, Church, we’re going to pray right now and we’re going to thank God—we’re going to do what the scripture says. Father God, we give You everything right now. We give You our hearts, we give You our minds, we give You our souls, we give You our desires.
Right now, come on, we give You our plans! Come on, Church, we will no longer be cuffed to control! Father, we are giving You our ideas, what we thought about our lives, what we thought about our families. We are giving You our friend groups right now! God, we’re uncuffing from control. We don’t have to know everything at every moment. Father, because You do, as we walk with You and talk with You and live with You, we don’t have to worry about tomorrow!
We don’t have to worry about next year! We can stay and rest in You today. Father, as a generation and as a church, we are coming to uncuff from control. We are putting You back in Your rightful place in our lives as the Lord! You’re over this land, You’re over my mind, You’re over my future, You number my days. God, we surrender all!
If you’re in this room right now, even in that same attitude, because we’re just starting, I feel like God’s going to be revealing all week areas that we need to surrender control. Some of y’all have non-profits and businesses and ideas and plans that God’s saying, „Could you bring that to me? Could you get close to me with that? Could I have that back?“ Your whole life is going to be used to bring God glory, but that means He has to control it.
If you’re in this room right now and you’ve never given control of your life over to God through the act of salvation, as people are praying all around you, I want to let you know today is the day of salvation. You want God to be your Savior and your Lord, but you cannot have a Lord if you do not make Him your Savior.
So today, I want to let you know that God desires to be so close to you that He sent His only Son to die on a cross for you—for every mistake that you did, that you are making, and that you will make. He’s saying, „I want to be so close that I’m tearing down all of the veils, all of the walls, all of the priests; everything they used to need to get to me, I’m taking all that away!“
Sending one final payment for everything you would do just so that I can be close. Today, if you want to experience that closeness in the room right now, come on! Standing all over this building, and even at home right now, if you want to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior, in just a moment we’re going to pray. I’m telling you, it’s the greatest decision you could ever make. It was the first time that I stepped out of the seat of control of my life and said, „I need you to do this; I need you to do it more than I can.“ It took me from being a liar, someone who was addicted to pornography, someone who was a manipulator, who had a felony case— all this other stuff. It didn’t turn me into a perfect man; it turned me into a progressing man, a man who was close to God enough to become who God wanted me to be, not just who I was.
Today, I believe this is your opportunity. Right now, just where everybody’s at, if that’s you and you want to make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, on the count of three I just want you to slip your hand in the air. This isn’t spooky or crazy or weird. If you’re in the room, even right now, this is the greatest decision you could ever make. One, I’m so proud of you. Two, your name is going to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Your history is not just taken care of; your eternity is going to be taken care of. Three, just shoot your hand up in the room all over. Come on, there’s hands— I see you! I see you! Glory to God! Come on, you can clap right there; there are people right now giving their life to Christ.
Listen, today everything changes because you’re uncuffing from being in control and giving control to Jesus. On the count of three, we’re all going to pray because we’re a family at Transformation Church; nobody prays alone. You hear what I’m saying? So let’s pray for the benefit of those who are coming to Christ. Everybody say:
God, thank you for sending Jesus just for me. Today I repent from my old life, and I turn to You. I’m giving You control; have Your way. I believe You lived, You died, and You rose again just for me. My life is not my own, it’s Yours. In Jesus' name, renew me, transform me, I’m Yours. Amen.