Michael Todd - The Departure of Partnership
We are in week three of a series we’re calling «Kingdom Couples,» and today we’re going to end the series. Now, I need to be honest: we’re going to pause the series; we’re not going to end it. This will be the end of the series for today, but it will segue into the series we’re about to enter, entitled «Damaged But Not Destroyed,» because I believe God has given me a burden that 2023, the rest of this year, is going to be a year of healing. Yeah, okay, let me go to this side. I said the rest of this year is going to be a year of healing.
Now, some of you sprained your ankle and say, «I’m good, I’m good,» but you’ve been limping for the last decade relationally and spiritually. You can’t raise your kids right because there’s something in you that has not healed, and you’re protecting a wound that God wants to heal. So, next week, I want you to bring all your damage, all of it. And someone said, «Pastor, you’re not ready for everything I’ve been through.» I’m not, but God is, and He’s just going to use me as your coach to examine areas you have been pushing down. Some of you feel a stirring inside right now because you didn’t think you were coming to therapy; come to church for the next nine weeks—it’ll be free therapy and theology. We’re going to put both together, and we’re going to see God’s people get healed like never before.
But today, I felt we needed to end this series on a note that will help many of you lay down the heavy weights that have been slowing you down. The subtitle of this series, if you’re just joining us, is «Finding Partners for Purpose.» If you know that God has given you a purpose and you’re not just here taking up space, can I hear you make some noise right now? That God made you—you all don’t think God gave you a purpose? Balcony, floor, okay, at least half of you think you’re here for a reason.
In the first week, we talked about the power being in the pair. In the second week, I taught you how to pick a partner. I felt that this week would be a bad place to pause if I didn’t tell you probably the most important part of partnership, having a kingdom couple—no matter if it’s relationally, spiritually, or romantically. Write down the title of my message: «The Departure of Partnership: How You Know It’s Time to Go.» Today, I need you to buckle up because it’s going to be strong. The problem with many people is that once we finally form partnerships, we want them to last forever. Many times, outside the parameters that God gives for us to be in relationship, it is no longer a blessing; that relationship is a curse. Many of us are still hanging with people, calling them our best friends, uh oh, still Netflixing and chilling—read between the lines—with people who are no longer there for your benefit; they are there to ensure you fall.
What God is challenging us to do is to walk into another level of spiritual maturity to understand that not all departures are from the devil. I’m going to say it one more time: the enemy’s been attacking me; Johnny left—that was God; it was His grace and protection. We have to move away from everybody we love. They’re your crutch; you haven’t obeyed God in six years because of your mom and them. So, uh oh, God had to relocate you so that you could depend on His voice more than their voices. Okay, the departure of partnership: how you know it’s time to go. It’s going to rearrange some people’s Christmases; some of you have put deposits on trips that you might have to swallow the loss because I know you didn’t get the trip insurance. I know you didn’t pay that extra $25, and you’re saying, «I’m not wasting money,» but you’re wasting your life.
I want us to go to Acts chapter 15 because I want us to do this in a kingdom way. Somebody say «kingdom.» When you start doing things in a kingdom way, what the world says is bad does not have to be bad in the kingdom. A departure is not negative if it’s for your purpose. I’m going to say it one more time: them not being with you when you get to the win does not mean you lost. Some people are there for a specific time period, and then you have to understand they’re not going to come to you and say, «Hey, I’m a distraction to your future.» Hey, all the emotional energy you’re spending on me because of our relationship is going to distract you from becoming who you need to be for your relationship. The time you should be spending with God, you’re FaceTiming me. Nobody’s going to come to you and say that; you have to discern for yourself, with the help of the Holy Spirit, if something has changed.
This is beautiful because the Bible is our playbook, and the thing by which we live our lives because we’re people of principles. We can actually look at a story in the Bible of a guy named Paul, and we can see how to do departure well. Okay, so, is everybody at Acts 15? It’s going to be on the screen if you don’t have it, but let me give you some backstory. Paul is by far one of the greatest apostles to come after Jesus, okay? His name used to be Saul. Let me put it in today’s vernacular: Saul was a gangster. He walked around like, «What? What are you looking at?» His reputation was that if you believed in Jesus, he was taking you off the set; the Bible says he was killing Christians. He had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, and he was transformed into Paul, ready to preach the gospel.
I love this because it reminds me of my story—not the gangster part, but the part about feeling the call and not having to go through all of man’s checkpoints to be able to minister the gospel. I need to go to seminary; I need this or that. I believe higher education is important, but you can share the gospel the same way you share a flyer about the club. Uh oh, if it’s a good sale, you don’t have to go to marketing school to tell someone that deals are 80% off. Believers say, «I can’t share it because I don’t know the Hebrew.» Stop it! Just say, «Jesus saved me; I was broken, and now I’m feeling my pieces come back together.» You need to know Him. Paul literally had his name changed and went into ministry, but he had a powerful partnership. Most people know Paul and Silas, but there was a partnership before Paul and Silas that allowed him to mature and be ready for his partnership with them. That relationship was between Paul and Barnabas.
Now, how many of you have heard about Barnabas before? A couple of you, but Barnabas was Paul’s advocate. When Paul came out and said, «Praise the Lord,» everybody was like, «Uh oh.» Think about it; he was killing Christians on Tuesday, and now Saturday he’s saying, «My brother!» They were like, «Oh God!» Barnabas comes along and says, «I vouch for him; he’s had a real transformation.» This is why it’s important to be around people while you’re changing. Sometimes they won’t believe you because of your past, but if you’re around people whose character has been stable and they say, «No, I promise, he’s actually doing it,» it gives you entrance into places you may have had to work for. Barnabas says, «No, I vouch for Paul.» Literally, Barnabas’s name means «encourager.» He learned the art of the pump-up, and their partnership was so powerful that they attracted others to their team.
They were like the big three; if we could bring LeBron and Dwyane Wade together, maybe we could convince Chris Bosh to come to Miami. They got another guy whose name was John Mark. Now, we know John Mark wasn’t black because his name was John Mark—but these multiethnic people came together, and this is where we find the story. Acts chapter 15 says that after some time, Paul and Barnabas, the partners, said, «Let’s go back and visit each city where we were previously preaching the word of the Lord to see how the new believers are doing.» Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark, but Paul said, «Heck no, he’s not going. As a matter of fact, if he’s going, I’m not going!» The Bible says their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark and sailed for Cyprus, and Paul chose Silas. As he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care.
Let’s pray real quick because this is going to be heavy for some of you. «Lord, help us know if it’s time to depart from a partnership. Amen.» I’m going to use this as a framework: you may need to depart if… Write it down; I have four things for you. The first is: you may need to depart if the seasons change. If the season changes, you may need to depart from the relationship. Some of you have summer friends in the winter; it was just for a season. I know you have abandonment issues, so when anyone comes in and leaves, you feel like something’s wrong with you. It was an answer to your seasonal prayer; it wasn’t a permanent fix—it was to get you from where you were to where you needed to go. But when you became dependent on them more than Him, He said the seasons are changing.
This is why I need you to understand that every departure does not have to be devastating, and every season change does not have to be sinister. I’ve been in church my whole life, and they act as if everybody who leaves your life is a hater and couldn’t believe with you. No! They had an expiration date; that place was for a season, and they were graced for it, but the grace ran out. They’re still there; it’s like when the oil runs out in your car. It can still function, but something’s going to get burnt up. Let me ask: has anyone forgotten to change their oil before? Let’s be honest. I remember driving my dad’s car, and he’d say, «Change the oil, son.» And even when the little light came on, I would ignore it. This is similar; no more grace! When you see their phone call, you feel guilty because you’re on Instagram. They saw your comment on Facebook, and you’re like, «Really? So you don’t want to be?» The oil ran out; the season has changed.
Paul recognized that the season had changed between him and Barnabas. They had a phenomenal season in ministry; they crushed it. They made it out of adversity, and then the season changed. This is what I feel as I read all of this gospel and Paul’s story: Paul had spent half of his life doing the wrong thing, so he could not afford to have the wrong partner for the time he had left. Barnabas may have been doing the right thing for a long time, but Paul had spent years doing the wrong. Okay, can we be honest—we’re a humble, open, and transparent church. How many of us have spent years doing the wrong thing? I’m not just talking about sinning; I mean not obeying God. He said, «My purpose is too fragile to play with,» so I know the season has changed. It’s time now that I have to make a decision. Everybody say «decision.»
Me, Pastor Charles, and Natalie went to Las Vegas for an awards ceremony earlier this summer, and we prepared for it to be hot. But when the doors of the airport opened, it felt like the enemy had opened his mouth from hell. I’m not playing, y’all; it was 115° dry heat! We started sweating, and we were just looking at each other. I looked at Charles and said, «What are you doing?» Natalie said, «Uh-uh,» and went back inside, saying, «Y’all tell me when the car is ready.» As hot as it was, all of us started shedding clothes—jackets, hoodies, everything. What would have happened if somebody had been putting on clothes in a season where we were supposed to be taking them off? This is what some of us look like relationally; we’re putting on clothes in the summer or with people in the summer that were made for the winter. Uh-uh. Hit me with it—115 degrees!
If I showed up like this in 115 degrees, y’all would think I lost my mind or that I have some type of low iron or illness. This is what you look like posting next to them. You’re still going after that relationship. It’s not that it wouldn’t be right in one season; it’s just wrong in this one. The level of heat that has come to my body means I’m not moving much because it’s going to start showing that I’m wearing the wrong thing. Some of y’all are experiencing things you never should experience because you haven’t acknowledged it. Listen, all you have to acknowledge is that this looks good in the right season. The reason I have to depart from this fur jacket is not that it wasn’t made well and not because it isn’t valuable in a different atmosphere. Take this to Colorado or Alaska, and it will be perfect, but where God has me, it might need to be a departure.
If the season has changed, let me give you another one. You may need to depart if you sense the same cycle. It’s a big one. Barnabas, verse 37: Barney agreed and wanted to take along John Mark, but Paul disagreed strongly. This is the reason why I have an issue with us going forward in our partnership with that person. The last time he deserted us in Philly—matter of fact, West Philadelphia, born and raised on the playground is where I spent most of my days—he did not continue with us when it was time to work. When it was time for us to get down to business, he was nowhere to be found.
When I was going through counseling and couldn’t see up from down, he didn’t call in around my birthday. Where we going, friend? What we doing, friend? How we getting down? Shut up! You weren’t there for me when I was crying myself to sleep! When I tried to call you and asked you just to come over because if nobody’s here with me, I’m going to his house. Oh God! When it was time to get down to business, you bailed on me! I’m not saying you’re a bad person, because John Mark was still around and he’s still talking to Barnabas. Most of us have such strong cut-off games. She said to me, «Pastor, if somebody does us wrong, leaves us when it’s time to go, they don’t even exist anymore.» They don’t even exist!
But Paul was spiritually mature enough to say, «I can still be around you; I just can’t partner with you.» How many believers can know your season is up at the church but not dog the church you leave? I just had to go because they were just giving milk. Let me ask, how many actually left a deposit greater than the distraction they took away? It’s all about spiritual maturity at this point, and Paul was spiritually mature enough to say, «Yeah, y’all can kick it. We can even talk about the celebration, but when it’s time to gear up to go back into battle, I can’t go with you because I sense the same cycle.» There is nothing that gives me an indication that you have changed. You’re not a bad person; you just haven’t transformed, and I’m not going back into war with somebody that I already have a warning about. Michael, you’re preaching! I know. This is what I’m telling you: You do not go into war with people you have to question.
You wonder, «Are they with me? Do they pray for me or do they talk about me?» I know they have a knife, but is it going to end up in my back? Paul knew something that we all need to know, because when it was time to go hard, John Mark went home. Paul said, «You know what? I’m not going to be mean. I’m not going to set up some unrealistic goal that John Mark has to prove to me. I’m just going to be intentional about—watch this—boundaries.» I know church people don’t like this. We’re supposed to forgive; yes, but they don’t have to be that close. No, no, no, no, no. We can release them of the debt and not be foolish.
I mean, we used to smoke weed together all the time, and we made a pact that we were done with it. Some of y’all are like, «What’s doie?» I just dated myself; I’m sorry. But they went back, and I’m trying to walk this thing out. And it’s not a sin, but I have a conviction, so I can’t chill at their house every day anymore. Not because I don’t like them, but I have to create a boundary. «Where you been at, bro?» «Home.» «Oh, you’re different now?» «No, I’m trying to be.» «Oh okay, you’re better than us?» «No, I actually am trying to be a person of my word, and I made a promise to God that’s more valuable than my promise to you.» So right now, I just got to create this clear boundary—not because you’re bad, but because I’m trying to stay blessed. These are two different things, and the church has been bad at this because we have to make somebody the villain. Paul shows us they don’t have to be the villain.
I just sense the same cycle. If you’re going to keep cheating on your wife, we can’t be friends like that. I was there the first two times, bro, and you stayed on my couch! But this seems like a decision you’ve made, so the next time you do it, I’m going to pray for you, but you can’t stay here. Damage but not destroy—it’s going to be good for all of us because we’re going to teach y’all how to make some boundaries. Boundaries just don’t happen. Some people would rather they just happen by osmosis. But the conversation you usually have to have to create them—that’s important.
Let me say this: It’s not a boundary if they don’t know. «I haven’t changed; they just haven’t called.» Don’t call it a boundary if you’ve not had a conversation. And the conversation comes from your conviction; your conviction makes you confront. Confrontation is not bad; it’s necessary. Most people think, «We’re about to have a confrontation.» It just means I’m going to bring it up front. I’m not going to sweep it under the rug; I’m not going to put it behind me. We’re going to bring it up. Paul had to confront Barnabas. He didn’t say, «Silas, come on, let’s go. We’re out of here.» That would have been unfaithful to the partnership they had. He said, «Bar—uh hey, what’s up John Mark? Barnabas, come here. I ain’t going with him.» «Paul, it’s John Mark; he’s been with us on so many journeys.» «But when we were in Philly, he left us.» «Yeah, I know, I asked him what happened; he said he had a case of the graphical bug, he went behind the bush, and when he came out, he was like, 'Where’d they go? ' I hear all of that, but what we’re doing right now is life or death. God saved me for a purpose, and I can’t roll with anybody who is not sure about why they’re here.»
So he had a confrontation with Barnabas that did not—watch this—this may be shocking, it didn’t end in blows. They weren’t on Twitter talking about, «Some friends are fake, guys; we know who you’re talking about.» They weren’t doing passive-aggressive subliminal messages; they had a conversation and made a decision. Oh, I love this; this is mature teaching right here. He had to have a confrontation with the guy who put him on. Think about how difficult that would be—to confront the person who in one season gave you credit. Now you have to confront them because they no longer serve a purpose in your life. Paul needed relationships on purpose for purpose.
So watch this; write this down as a point: Your calling is worth uncomfortable confrontations. I got to move. Okay, so you may need to depart from the partnership if the season has changed—number one. If you sense the same cycle—number two. Number three: You may need to depart if a storm is coming. See, Paul, after having his conversion, realized that living for Jesus and representing the kingdom meant that storms were coming. This thing that everybody talks about, «Come to Jesus; now everything’s going to go away and you don’t have to worry about anything. God is going to take care of it all,» that’s a lie. The purpose of coming to Jesus is now you’re walking with the one who knows everything. And even when you go through storms, you know you’re not alone. «Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,» that’s not a lyric from a rap song—some of y’all, that’s not—it’s the Bible, and it’s saying He’ll be with you no matter what storm you go through.
This is what I found as a pastor, and this is what I want you to find out as a believer: This is mature Christian living right here. Storms are a sign of success in the kingdom. Paul had come to a place in his life where he knew another storm was coming. «I’m not about to play myself and be around people who are weak in storms. I know I sit here on purpose for purpose; I got Kingdom business to do. God literally transformed me from the biggest gangster to the biggest apostle, and I’m about to walk into my next storm with a partner who doesn’t know their purpose.»
Let me prove it to you; I’ll let Paul tell you how he knew and how he lived knowing that storms were coming. 2 Corinthians 11:23—this is Paul talking: «I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.» Y’all know how we be crying on the passion when Jesus gets whipped? Paul got that three times! Five times, I’m sorry. «Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move; I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country.» We be saying we’re blessed in the city. Paul was singing, «Endangered in the city, endangered in the field, endangered when I come and when I go.»
Watch this: «And I’ve been in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep. I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food. I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, after all of that, I face the daily pressure of my concerns for all the churches.» He was saying, «Yo, because of how much weight I carry in the kingdom, another storm is coming!» Can I talk to Transformation Church? If you’re rocking with us right now, the truth of the matter is we are taking too much of the enemy’s territory. When we step out, use technology, and reach people beyond our community, one of my greatest compliments—children, close your ears—is when somebody who doesn’t care about God says, «I F with Mike Todd.» «Now I don’t mess with that church,» but I f with Transformation. Do you know what that means? It means our vision is working! We are representing God to the lost, and the «F» stands for «transformation in Christ.»
So if you thought the spit hit the fan, another storm is coming because we mean too much in the kingdom! God, this is why we pray constantly; this is why we show love and generosity. We gave away eight million dollars a few months before the spit hit the fan—not one story about it! Eight million! The local news didn’t cover it. I spit on my blood brother! I mean, we’ve shared drinks! I can think of so much more disgusting stuff that y’all do with spit. Let me stop. What I’ve come to the conclusion of is that when you are living on purpose in the kingdom, storms are coming. And so what do we do, Pastor Mike? Well, I found out when it comes to partnerships, when we know a storm’s coming, like Paul, we should stop praying for weaker storms and start praying for stronger partners. Ooh, that’s good!
If you clap or not, «Lord, let the storm go away!» He said, «This one’s going to make you! You’re going to learn something through this storm that money couldn’t give you. You’re going to learn something through this storm that going from win to win can’t teach you. Stop praying for weaker storms, and start praying for stronger partners!» See, one of Paul’s greatest tests was coming in Acts 16 when, because he was walking in his authority as an apostle, this woman was bothering him, and he cast out a demon. She was making money for a higher-up, and they got mad. The whole town got mad because she got healed. She got healed, and they got mad. She was addicted to something; she gets free.
The whole mob comes after him, and they get thrown in jail. Y’all know the story. It says, «And at midnight, Paul prayed and sang praises to God.» They did it until the point that the jail began to shake, and not just their chains fell off—woo! —but the chains of everybody in the place. There are some people whose praise and your prayer are going to make other people’s chains fall off. But listen: what if the scripture had read, «And at midnight, Paul and John Mark…»? Or it could have read, «And at midnight, Paul was alone.» Because sensing what he had done before, when they would have been like, «There they go!» John Mark would have been like, «Excuse me! Excuse me! Excuse me!» But Silas said, «Here we are! Here we are! What are we going to do now, Paul?»
The same thing we do every day: we’re going to pray, and we’re going to sing praises to God. «What if they kill us?» Then they kill us, but we’re going to go out doing what we’ve done every day. We’re going to—I feel this thing—we’re going to pray, and we’re going to sing praises to God. «What if they don’t remember us?» They only have to remember Him. If our platform is this jail cell, all of these prisoners are going to know that we sing praises and we pray. Instead of a partner that was praying on Paul, P-R-Y, he had a partner that was praying with him. Your storm may look different; your storm may be loss, it may be failure, it may be pain, it may be tragedy, but I need you to be proactive with your partnerships. You can’t build partnerships in prison. You’ve got to build them before.
This is why I’m just saying maybe there needs to be a departure because the season just changed, or maybe there needs to be a departure because God is saying something different, and they’re doing the same cycle over and over again. I can sense the same cycle, or maybe you need to do it because a storm is coming. I found this interesting, an interesting fact out this week from one of my friends. He said most animals, when a storm is coming, they sense it. Yeah, y’all know your dog? It’s like sunny skies out, and you’re like, «What’s wrong, Rufus?» He can’t tell you, but he can tell you that. So you’re just like, «All right,» and then it’s like boom! Most animals have that sense. But there’s one animal that, when a storm is coming, they run into it.
Does anybody know what that animal is? It’s a buffalo. A buffalo, when they sense a storm, they say, «Where is it at?» and they take off full speed while everybody else is running away. The buffalo runs into the eye of it. What scientists have discovered is that when the buffalo runs into it, because no animal can escape it, they just try to hide from it. It allows them to go through it quicker than any other animal, and they don’t keep getting hit with the worst parts of it because the worst parts of a storm are on the outside. What if the church would be the ones that say, «You know what? Another storm is coming! Write what you want to write, say what you want to say, but we’re going to run into the eye of the storm, and it won’t be able to take us out!»
Oh, I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is the season where we’re no longer scared of the storm. Some of y’all, the enemy has tried to make you afraid. «What if? What if? What if?» Bring it on, 'cause I know the one who walks with me. I know the one who created the storm. Oh, the Bible tells us He can calm the winds and the waves. My God knows something about storms. Y’all remember when the disciples were scared 'cause they were on the sea and it was storming all around them? What was Jesus doing? Taking a nap! Why? 'Cause He knew He had control. The buffalo has faith to run into it, and I’m asking you: is this the season where the storm ignites your success instead of making you run away scared?
And the most beautiful thing is when buffalo begin to run to the storm, they don’t run alone. The people who were with them said, «We ain’t running away; we’re buffalo too.» Somebody look at your neighbor: «Are you a buffalo?» No, seriously! Do you have the faith to run into the storm with me? «Fee, do you have the faith to run into the storm with me? Charles, do you have the faith to run into the storm with me?» And let me say this: I need to talk to all my married couples real quick as I close. Some of y’all have been listening to this message all day and said, «Finally, somebody gave me permission on how to depart from the partnership. I’m leaving.» Yo, anoint yourself!
There are some reasons why you need to depart from the marriage relationship, and the Bible’s clear on those things. But the truth of the matter is many of you need to lock arms with your partner, and you need to run into the storm. One of you has been running toward it while the other one has been running away. Both of you have been retreating. Let me give you practical steps of what running into the storm looks like. You need to go to counseling. «I ain’t telling nobody about my business, and I can’t handle it.» The person who loves you more than anybody in this world—you’re putting up a wall against them, and God is challenging you right now not to run away from the storms of your past. Maybe you cheated, maybe you let something in that wasn’t supposed to be there, maybe y’all decided to do it together, and that spirit of lust came into your marriage bed and took something away from you intimately.
I’m talking about real stuff! Maybe it was the kids. Y’all lived for them for so long, and now they’re gone, and you don’t even know who you’re married to. You look at a stranger every morning. Yes, a storm is coming, but why don’t you lock arms with that person you’ve made a covenant with and let you, that person, and the Holy Spirit run into the storm? It gets over quicker, and on the other side of the storm, you’ve never seen the sun shine like it shines after a downpour of rain. This is a prophetic word to somebody right now: we’re not giving up; we’re not going back. Our marriage will be a testimony, and God will get the glory out of this, 'cause we’re going to get the right partner and run into the storm by faith.
Can we just give God some praise that God is mending relationships and creating Kingdom couples? What they thought was going to take them out is about to make them! In the name of Jesus! Last one: you may need to depart from the partnership if—watch this—the Spirit says so. This last one isn’t going to make sense. «Oh, they’re toxic; they’re going to be great for you. Everything that y’all do wins together.» And God’s going to say, «Excuse me, Lord! I’ve run an analysis on all my past relationships, and this one looks like the best one I’ve ever been in, so could you get with the Father and the Spirit, reconsider, and get back to me by Monday?» Has God ever told you to do something that didn’t make sense? I don’t know about you, but it just didn’t make any sense. Faith begins where understanding ends. You don’t need faith if it makes sense, and the Bible tells us we walk by, I said we walk by faith and not by sight.
So if I can see it makes sense but God says something different, it might be good for me to go with what He said. What are some other names for the Holy Spirit? The Advocate? The Helper? Give me a couple more: the Comforter? The Paraclete? What’d you say? The Defender? Okay, let me introduce you to a name for the Holy Spirit that Jesus calls Him in John 16:13. You may have never heard this before. This is Jesus when—what’s this name? The Spirit of Truth! So you can say, «Holy Spirit, help me,» or you can say, «Spirit of Truth, help me.» He calls Him the Spirit of Truth. When the Spirit of Truth comes—watch this—He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own, but He will tell you what He has heard.
Heaven’s having a conversation about you right now, and the Holy Spirit is the messenger to come tell you the truth about your future. If you shut Him up, or the Bible puts it like this, quench Him—squeeze Him out—because you make room for everything else and not Him. He says, «I have the truth! I can tell you what relationships are going to work! I can tell you what partnerships are going to go! You’re going to have to trust me, though!» Heaven was having a conversation about you: these relationships—they’re seemingly good, but they’re going to end badly. Stop them now! Sometimes it won’t make any fiscal, physical, or logical sense, and the Holy Spirit will say, «Trust Me!» He said, «He will not speak on His own, but He will tell you what He has heard; He will tell you about"—watch this—the future.
I already had this message prepared, and then somebody sent me this video of a couple that I was preaching to in 2018 in the Stride series. Y’all know I just be up here saying stuff. No, no, no! I be studying; I be preparing. And then there are spontaneous moments, and I make up people’s names and all this stuff. And I just said this name and was using it as an example, and God is so detailed that He chose to use me unknowingly to be able to speak directly to a young lady’s situation. I just want everybody to hear that the Spirit told her to do something that didn’t really make full sense, and the result of listening to the Spirit of God over any other voice—watch this video real quick. «Don’t date him.» «Well, God, now you made a masterpiece in Ricardo, and I really think this is Your will for me and Ricardo to make some babies, Lord.» And He said, «Don’t marry him because he hasn’t worked on his character yet. When you get into that, you’re going to marry the generational curses. I got Ricky; he’s three years away. But you want—I’ve provided not where you can see!»
That’s why the Bible says we walk by faith and not by sight. It’s easy to go after what you can see. It takes faith to go after what God is trying to provide for you. The man’s actual name was Ricardo, y’all! There was no guarantee! She had to obey what the Holy Spirit told her. Watch this: «My future is fortified as I follow the Holy Spirit.» Some of our partnerships we’ve been talking about, and you’ve been thinking of actual people. I believe that secondary relationship—maybe the partnership that’s most important of all—is that you develop a friendship with the Holy Spirit. 'Cause if He is actually the Spirit of Truth and knows everything about everything, even all the meetings in Heaven that are happening about you, maybe the most important relationship right now to partner with is partnering with the Holy Spirit.
I know many of you are ready to depart from partners; you’re like, «I got them written down; the Holy Spirit told me while you were preaching. He told me Jesse, Jerome, Jquan— I got all of them.» And that’s what I’ve been praying the whole time: that you wouldn’t just hear me, that He would speak. Some of you need to set boundaries; some of you, the season has changed; some of you have already seen the same cycles— this is just confirmation to you. But if we’re actually going to heal for the rest of this year, there are some things we need to look at. Today I wanted to end this by letting you know that the Holy Spirit will speak to you better than Pastor Mike ever will.
If I could just talk to Pastor Mike because I have a limited amount of wisdom, but the Spirit of Wisdom—the Spirit of Truth—He wants to lead you and guide you every day. I know maybe this Holy Spirit has been presented to you in the wrong way, but let me tell you, He’s my friend. It’s not a—it’s not an «it»; it’s a He! The third person in the Trinity. Pastor Mike, why are you going so deep? I thought this was about partnership! It is! Jesus says it’s better for me to physically leave this earth so you can get a better partner. Huh? 'Cause right now, if I said you can have Jesus on this earth or the Holy Spirit, most of us would choose Jesus, 'cause all the stories are about Jesus. But if you ask Jesus who we need? I know this is messing with your theology. It’s all about Him!
He said, «Let me go so you can have the partner you need on this earth. I’m going to take a seat at the right hand of the Father, and I’m going to be interceding. But the person who’s going to translate for you and be able to let you know, 'No, don’t go to that college, ' 'No, don’t move into that neighborhood, ' 'Don’t take on that debt right now, ' 'No, no, no, that’s where you’re supposed to go right now, ' 'No, those are your people.'» The one who’s going to do that? His name is the Paraclete—the one who comes alongside you to help you. He will walk with you; He will talk with you; He will sit with you; He will stand with you. He will tell you what the truth is about your future, and today I want to pray that more than any partnership, you become a partner with the Holy Spirit.
That’s it, because right now to go and depart from some of these relationships, you’re going to need the Holy Spirit. Some of them, watch this, have soul ties attached to them. You’ve gotten intertwined and engaged, and now it’s not just that you can’t get away from them; you’re ripping away a piece of you when you separate from them. I don’t want to lose that part of me. You used to not be mean, and then you got with them, and somehow this rage came out of you. That’s what we call a soul tie, and God’s saying to let the Holy Spirit lead you and guide you into all truth. When He tells you not to call him, well, we deserve closure, but when the Holy Spirit says don’t call them, then that’s the right decision.
Today, if you know you need your partnership with the Holy Spirit to go to another level, all over this house and all over the world, I want you to stand up. It’s not for everybody, but you need to make a fresh commitment to your partnership with the Holy Spirit. Yep, you need a fresh connection. I feel the presence of God in this place. There are some relationships that may not be there by the end of the year, and it’s okay, because your purpose is worth it. Let me say that again: your purpose is worth it. To really do this right, you’re going to need the Holy Spirit. If you want a fresh connection with the Holy Spirit, just lift your hands.
Father, what an honor and a privilege it is to pray with your children and to let them know that you are so aware of their humanity, and you love us so much that you sent Divinity to walk with us and talk with us every day. Holy Spirit, we invite you into our lives. Come on, somebody say it: Holy Spirit, I invite you into my life in a new way. I’m open, I’m available. Speak to me. Lead me into truth. And now, Father, let every blockage and every bondage go right now in the name of Jesus. God, I’m asking you for a fresh flow of your Spirit in every household. Father God, let husbands and wives be in other rooms praying, and you’ll say the same thing to them, Father God, and they’ll come out of that room not fighting, but on one accord. God, I thank you that co-parents are going to come together in a new way where there has been dissension and frustration, father God, and baby mama drama and baby daddy drama. Father, I thank you for unity. God, begin to speak to people. Father God, I thank you that where there has been pain and frustration on jobs, you know what our bosses are thinking, you know what the real solution is. Father, lead us into all truth. We need to change gyms and change neighborhoods, Father, or go into a season of consecration. Holy Spirit, let all of our partnerships be dictated by our partnership with you. Today we need you in a new and fresh way. Do a work on the inside of me. Today we’re ending this series, Father God, knowing that some relationships in our lives need to change, but the one that needs the strongest transformation is the relationship we have with you. Holy Spirit, if you say so, come on, somebody just say that: Holy Spirit, if you say so. Father, let us obey if you say so.
I feel the presence of God in this room right now. So by faith, God, we say, take our hearts and mold them, and take my mind and transform it, and take my will. It’s strong—it’s really strong—but conform it to yours, oh Lord. This is our prayer for all the rest of the year. Just one more time: take my heart and mold it, take my mind and transform it, and take my will and conform it. Not to my friends, but to yours. Oh, there’s a sweet presence. Just one more time: take my heart, God. We’re surrendering everything to you. Take my mind, woo, and God, I know my will is strong, but take my will and conform it to yours.
Now unto Him who is able, not unto you who is able; now unto Him who is able to do immeasurably more than you can ask or imagine. Your whole life can change in the next three months. Y’all didn’t hear me! All Jesus needs is three days. He conquered death, hell, and the grave in three days. What can God do in the next three months? But it takes a surrendered person. Take my heart, take my mind. Oh, I’ve been doing things my way all these years, Lord, but take my will. Here I am. Everything I said I’d never do. All right, I’m open; come on, I’m open. If you’ve never accepted Jesus, listen to me, this is the part that you need because it’s through our faith in Jesus that we get access to the Holy Spirit.
So if you’re in this room and you’re saying, «Pastor Mike, I’m a bad person,» or «I’m a good person; I just haven’t walked with Jesus,» today I want your life to be transformed. It’s the thing that took me from being a liar, a manipulator, addicted to pornography, with car insurance fraud on my record—all kinds of stuff. I was jacked up. The fact that I’m up here preaching to you right now is only because of the grace of God. At Transformation Church, we never forget the grace of God. See, undeserved, there’s nothing I did. I couldn’t preach when God found me. It wasn’t because I did things well; it was because He was good. So today, if you’re in here and your heart is stirring, guess what? The Bible says the Holy Spirit has been drawing you to Jesus. The access to the Holy Spirit truly becomes clear once you give your life to Jesus.
But the Holy Spirit has been with you your whole life, drawing you, and today is the day of salvation. I need all the people who know what this is to begin praying, because someone’s life is in the balance right now. This is a decision that changes generational habits and brings in generational blessings. I feel the presence of God. If you want to give your life to Christ today—if you’re watching online or you’re in this building right now—today is the day of salvation. Today, God is with open arms saying, «Come on; it’s time to change seasons.» It’s time for you to stop being the lord of your life and let me be the Lord of your life. On the count of three, I just want you to lift your hand wherever you are in the room—up in the balcony, on the floor, in the hallway, in the bathroom, at your house, on the treadmill. Today right where you are is an altar, and God says, «Would you come to me?» This is why our church exists.
One, you’re making the greatest decision of your life. Two, I’m proud of you, but more than that, your name is going to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life for all of eternity. Three, with faith, would you lift your hands if you want to receive Jesus? I see you up there, my brother. I see you. I see—oh, I see you, sis. I see you, sis—a whole row of people! Come on, hey, Transformation, we’re getting online; hands are going up in the chat. Glory to God! This is why we believe at TC: we’re a family; nobody prays alone. So with everybody, one last time, just lift your hands because we’re a family here, and we’re going to pray this together. Everybody say:
God, thank you for sending Jesus just for me. Today I’m a sinner; I’m in need of a Savior, and I choose You. Change me, renew me, transform me; I’m Yours forever. In Jesus' name, amen.