Michael Todd - Patterns That Prophesy
This series, I don’t know if y’all have noticed that my preaching is a little different since I’ve come back from sabbatical. If you’ve checked in with me, there’s another level of dominion; there’s another level of authority. I’m almost nine years into pastoring this church, and I’m not guessing anymore about who comes or who leaves. It really doesn’t matter; I’m called.
So when I stand up here, there’s another level of authority and anointing that I’m standing with right now that, to be honest, in years prior, I was trying to convince people of what I knew. Now I’m just going to tell you: if you believe it or not, that’s on you. But I have proof in my life in areas that don’t get posted on Instagram, that the principles of God—everybody say, «They work.» You’ve tried everything; you’re out here believing scammers on Instagram, sending them $19.99 a month to figure out some of your issues, and you’ve forgotten you were in it. You’ve been in it since 2020, can’t find your money, watching these people trying to get motivated to do what the principles of God would produce in your life if you actually did them.
So today, as we are in a series about being damaged but not destroyed, I want to teach you how to go from trauma to triumph. We’ve talked about our damage a lot; we’ve discussed what we’ve gone through, and we’ve made a decision that we are going to deal with our issues. For everyone who’s made a therapy appointment, I want to give it up for you right now. Oh, y’all can do better than that! I know the guilt is setting in for some people who said they would, but we’re going to thank God here. At this church, we believe in therapy and theology; we believe in prayer and going to a therapist. We believe that it starts with an encounter with God at the altar, but many times it’s fleshed out in communication through counseling.
Today, I’m going to give you practical steps on how to move from trauma to triumph. I’m going to read a passage of scripture; if you have your Bibles, turn to James 1:12. We are in week six of a series called Damage But Not Destroyed. James chapter 1, verse 2: «God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.» Somebody should shout right there! No, no, no, not out of ignorance—shout because in this last season, you’ve endured testing and temptation. The reward of that is that God blesses you. If that’s the season you’ve been in, go ahead and give God praise right there.
So after you’ve endured testing and temptation, afterward, you will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, «God is tempting me.» Stop sending me those thoughts, Lord! Stop letting that scroll up on my Instagram. God isn’t tempting you to do wrong; He never tempts anyone else. But let me tell you where temptation comes from: temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires have a baby, and they give birth to sinful actions. When sin is allowed to live and grow, it gives birth to death.
When I looked at this scripture, I saw the cycle of sin. What we have to do to disarm the enemy’s power in our lives is to understand our opponent. If you’ve ever played a sport, the first thing you need to know is who you’re playing against. Because depending on who’s on the other side of the court or the field, it determines how I’m going to approach this battle. Most of us come at the enemy as if he’s playing fair, but the Word of God gives us his playbook; he has no new schemes. Let me teach you about the enemy’s play so you can learn it and work against it with understanding.
So, did you see how we all get played by sin? It’s a cycle, or you could say it’s a pattern: your desires lead to actions, which lead to growth, and then to death. Put it on the screen because some of them are looking at me—this is what the scripture just said. Your desires come together and birth sinful actions. Your sinful actions have a baby. Okay, I’m going to read the scripture to you one more time, and I want you to listen to it very slowly: «Temptation comes from our own desires.» You never do anything that you didn’t, somewhere deep down, desire to do. The devil didn’t make you do it; he hyped you up to do it. The devil has been after me? No, no, no. He’s just been encouraging you in what was already there.
If it wasn’t in there, he wouldn’t have anything to help grow. The reason you’re enraged is that there’s something in there that has been allowed to fester. What God is saying is that your desires produce actions, which, if they are allowed to grow, produce death. If I understand the pattern of the devil, I can interrupt that pattern.
Okay, I want to be in a relationship now; my desire has grown. I’ve been focusing on that desire, comparing myself to others who have what I think I desire. It’s coming up to my birthday, and I don’t want to be alone that day, even if I have to be a side chick. So I’ll lower my standards to fill that need. We may not do it many times, but just once or twice a week, that growth, now I’m his «sneaky link.» Some of y’all are like, «Jen, sneaky link? What is that—a link in an email?» It’s an attachment, all right; it’s called a soul tie. And you’re okay now, almost fooled to know that he doesn’t claim you, but you have a secret relationship, which is able to grow until it kills the desire in you—death to living in purity.
This is the cycle—everybody say cycle, or it’s the pattern. But if the devil has a pattern, then our God also has a pattern; it’s just a little different, but it leads to a whole other place. Philippians 2:13, my favorite scripture—remember the death-and-sin cycle starts with your desire. But Philippians 2:13 says, «For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.» So the next pattern that we need to learn is God’s desire. Godly actions grow, and that leads to life. Everybody shout life at me! It’s why the Bible says that the Son of Man came that we might have life and have it to the full.
But the thing you need to realize is that the right pattern and the wrong pattern are all based on who starts the pattern. So, if you start the pattern at four years old trying to self-soothe because you weren’t seen by your parents, you continue that pattern, which leads to actions that lead to growth that lead to death. Now you’re 48 years old, and you can’t figure out why this pattern has taken you from where you really want to be to where you never thought you would be.
It’s the source of who started the pattern. Today, I’m asking every person under the sound of my voice to examine every pattern in your life and ask yourself, who started it? Did I start it for protection? Did I start it to feel love? Did I start it to survive? Not all patterns were started out of an evil place. Some of us hit the weed to survive all the abuse that was happening in our household.
Okay, y’all want to be fake today? You’re judging people about the end result of death in their life, but some people started because they were just trying to survive. Nobody who’s a thug wanted to be a thug. When you don’t know where your next meal is coming from, you then desire to eat, and that might drive you to shank somebody. Is it right? No, but that’s what sin is; it’s trying to fulfill a legitimate desire in an illegitimate way.
So every person who’s being judgmental right now, even being religious, is some of your way of trying to feel better about yourself because nobody ever affirmed you. «Well, I’m going to learn more than everybody else.» What does 1 Thessalonians 6:19 say? I don’t know, but you’re mean. The truth of the matter is, whatever word you have, there’s no fruit in your life, and I don’t want to be around you. Somehow, you go home making comments about people thinking you’re better than them. You started that pattern. You never see Jesus doing that.
Okay, let me stop. Write this down: the pattern that starts with you will always end with problems. The pattern that starts with you will always end with problems. I need you to think about how you handle conflict. When did you start going off like that? Only three people have seen it, and it’s usually the three people you love the most. Some of you husbands would never treat your co-workers like you treat your wife. Some of you wives check up on your friends more than you check up on your husband. Those claps are from some of you who talk to your children in ways that you despised being talked to. Why does it come out of you so freely now? Because it is a pattern.
You never got any other language to communicate. «Because I said so.» You used to hate when your parents said «because I said so.» You had whole debates with your friends about how dumb that was, yet now you’re at the same place, emotionally drained with no time or energy for the seeds you prayed for God to give you, and the pattern hasn’t broken. The pattern that starts with you will always end with problems, but the pattern that starts with God will always end in power. That scripture said he will give you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. That means many of us need to confront not our problems; the problems are a byproduct of the pattern.
Oh my God, I can tell you where your life is and where it is going, not by the problems you’re facing right now, but by the patterns that created those problems. Many of us have been living in problem-solving mode when we should be in pattern-solving mode. Oh my gosh, I am talking to you because every time you get hot and bothered, ask yourself what you were watching. It seems to happen after you watch that one show on HBO that’s artistically enthusiastic, but has a few scenes that’ll arouse something in you. Come on, y’all, and you’re watching it like, «I’m good.»
«Okay, all right, that’s what they did in medieval times; I feel that.» And then you’re watching ESPN and can’t go to sleep. Just step back and ask yourself, «Is the problem my pattern?» We’re talking about dealing with our damage. We can get healed and be right back in it, delivered and right back in it—not because we didn’t address the problem, but because we did not address the pattern.
I feel my help coming on today; I want to let you know something. This is the title of my sermon: Patterns That Prophesy. Everybody wants a prophetic word: «God, tell me where I’m going to be next year.» 2024: «I want more!» «2024 is going to be the year of an open door.» «In 2024, I’m actually going to have abs!» Not if you don’t check the pattern. Your patterns are prophesying your future.
Don’t go stand in line and pay for Miracle Water because I can prophesy to you right now: show me your bank account, and I’ll tell you, you’ll be broke next year because of the pattern of spending you have. And God can give you an influx of resources and just give you enough time, and you’ll be decked out in Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and big-screen TVs, and your pattern will end you back up in the same place you are right now. Your pattern is prophetic. Where’s my marriage going? Jacked up because y’all don’t talk. You’re business partners; you make sure the accounts are settled, the kids eat, and then you lie about going on date nights, but you’re just on your phone the whole time. The pattern is killing your progress.
The truth of the matter is, in church, we do a good job of telling people where their purpose is going to be and how they’re going to go to this place, the palace, and the promises. We need more messages about the patterns because God can use you greatly, and it still be your patterns that jack you up. This isn’t in my notes, but it’s coming to my heart. Samson, the strongest man alive, had a pattern of laying with women who he knew were trying to kill him. He thought he was strong enough to reach his purpose and still play with the pattern. Many of you have been in the same place where God has gifted you; He’s given you power and strength in an area, yet you’re still playing with patterns that will end up taking your sight and killing you in the end. Oh, patterns are prophetic!
I thought about what I could do to show y’all the power of patterns. Everybody shout at me, «Patterns! The power of patterns!» And so, I decided that for my example today, I’m going to go to the studio. Is it okay if I break the pattern of our regular Sunday service and do something different right now? I said, is it okay? Okay, so cameraman, follow me; I’m going to the studio real quick. Most of you know that I used to be a music producer before God asked me to be a pastor, and one of the things we have to understand—man, I’m so glad you’re here today—one of the things you got to understand, what’s up big daddy? You alright? Hey, you fly! I like your glasses! Yes! One of the things we have to do in music production is to be concerned about everybody shouting at me: patterns! P! I love you all; thank you so much for coming today. So many people make music based on patterns; it’s like 1, 2, 3, 3, 4—it’s 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3. There are different patterns that we have, and I’m going to go into the studio right now and—what’s up Jav? You good, baby? Yes, sir!
Alright, let me get set up; they got me a little setup back here right now. Can y’all hear me out there? Oh no, no! I need y’all to make some noise! Can y’all hear me out there? I got to make sure—okay, cool, cool, cool, cool. So I’m in the studio right now with Hav, and, uh, let me see. I like that! I’mma just build the basic pattern; I like that! Whoa, ooh! I like that! Alright, let’s just build a basic pattern real quick. Y’all feel that? Oh, okay! So right here—uh oh, we took the lights out! This is like a basic pattern, and some of y’all are grooving to this pattern right here. I see you right there! And then I can add to it, but the truth about this pattern is—it’s set, and it will not change until somebody puts their hands on it. It’s going to continue to stay the same 15 minutes from now.
If I don’t put my hands on this pattern, it will prophesy the future. Everything that you do and everywhere you are, that you advocate and don’t let God through you put your hands on, stays the same. People can be grooving to a beat that will not produce the full manifestation of what God wants to do in your life. I’m preaching this thing right now! Some of you need to decide today that it’s not the beat that’s the problem; it’s that I have not put my hands on the pattern. I believe that God is going to tell some of y’all it’s time to remix your life; it’s time to throw some stuff in there! Oh, I like that! Some of y’all better jam with me; let’s turn the 808 on! Let’s go! Woo! I like it!
Do you see how it’s coming alive? The music is changing right now because I am beginning to work on the pattern. Oh, I feel this thing! Let’s break it down just a little bit; let’s go like this! Some of y’all used to be in a club; stop acting brand new! You like that! But this is a beautiful thing—what if there are some things in my life that I don’t need to get rid of? I just need to filter them! Listen to this: I can filter the noise. Needs to be turned down! W—I feel like playing a little bit; just give me a second. W—yeah, God changing the pattern! I feel that! Hey, I need everybody to do me a favor; if you’re in the room or if you’re at home, I need you to stand up right now, and we are going to change the pattern! I need you to turn up! Everybody, clap your hands like—hey, I’m coming out there! I need you to party! Yo, let’s go; let’s go! Everybody, everybody, everybody! Like, oh! Let’s go! Everybody, real quick, like we’re breaking the pattern of serving! Let’s go! I—W! Just one more time, say overflow! Hey! I love this day! Where—hey! Sing overflow! Hey! Will y’all give God some praise right now?
Okay, sit down! The power of that whole moment was in the pattern, and until I put my hand on the pattern—until I put my creativity around the pattern—until I put knowledge around it, everything stayed the same. Take this off real quick; it’s not going to ruin the message. There we go; we got it. Okay! The power is in the—I said, the power is in the—the power is in the—if you don’t like the music of your life, you have to change the beat. You want a different tempo; you want to go at a pace that your family can go at. You, you, you, you—want to be able to actually have margin enough to love your neighbor! Some of us are just too busy to love our neighbor! Got soccer practice, got lacrosse practice, I have my hair appointment every Tuesday, I have a nail appointment every Thursday because I have to do the Instagram pose of me holding my steering wheel, and you’ve been to that nail tech 200 times, and they don’t even know you love God!
It’s time to check the pattern; 'cause what’s not transformed is transferred! Your patterns, watch this, are going to be given to your children! Watch this: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will men and women put in their children’s lap what they did not deal with. We always want to use it when it’s time for offering; it’s also used when it’s time for offense! The way you get offended? Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over! This is why we have to address patterns that prophesy in this next year! Don’t ask God to give you a prophetic word; ask Him to show you your patterns. Okay, okay, y’all don’t believe me, and the reason you don’t believe me is because you’re like, where’s the word, Pastor Mike? Show me in the Bible that your patterns prophesy!
Let’s talk about Abraham, 'cause Abraham had many sons, and many sons had—oh, oh! And I am, and so are you! Hey, so let’s all praise the Lord, right? You all were married; y’all went to the same youth camp I did. But what was the first part of that? Father Abraham had many sons, and many sons had—what? Father Abraham had—so the sons had no say in coming into the world! Father Abraham had many sons, but the sons also had what? Father Abraham had, and we talk about it—he had faith! Guess what? What else? Abraham had a lying problem! I got to run through this quick. Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife. He was scared! And I don’t know what kind of fine Sarah was, but she was so fine that he was like, I got to tell them you’re my sister because they might kill me to get to you, and they walked into the palace.
He was like, this is my sister Sarai! And he lied to Pharaoh to save himself out of fear, and he thought it was a little white lie. But Father Abraham had many sons, and many sons had lying from Father Abraham, 'cause Isaac was his son, and Isaac did the same thing in lying! And he even did it in the same way! He wasn’t even able to escape the proximity! That thing was so strong that the lying in him happened in the same place, the same way! But Isaac had many sons, and many sons had Isaac lying in them! 'Cause y’all remember Esau and Jacob, right? The pattern that Abraham started prophesied for generations, and now literally his son Jacob says, I’m not even going to lie to somebody outside of my family; I’mma lie to my brother, who is my twin—the person who’s supposed to be closest to me!
I’mma deceive him! And he learned it! The seed was in him from his father Isaac, but it was nurtured by his manipulated mama. Y’all got to read the Bible! What happens when you get the crap from both sides? What happens when your mom’s side of the family are liars and manipulators and your dad’s side of the family have addictions and secrets, and nobody stands up and deals with it, and you’re supposed to just be good? It’s a miracle you’re here today because patterns prophesy! Write this down: it’s not that God’s promise isn’t working; it’s that your pattern is working! It’s not that the promises of God are not working! His promises are working! But guess what else is working? Your patterns!
And so when God blesses you with more, you have a pattern of giving up what God blesses you to people you feel guilty around, so God keeps blessing you; you don’t stew over it, and y’all are all broke together! And I just feel like I can’t lead a hood; I put the team on my back! You need a savings account to put the team on your back! You’re trying to help other people with their relationships, and the time you’re talking to LEL B. Bay and LEL Ray Ray, you should shut up and go to counseling with your spouse! Okay, 'cause your pattern is working too! So, Pastor Mike, alright, I know I need to check my pattern—how do I change my pattern? I’m glad you asked! Because how did Jacob get his pattern changed? Does anybody remember? Y’all don’t read your Bible! Does anybody remember how Jacob got his pattern changed?
This is Abraham, Isaac, Jacob—all liars! Liars! Liars! Liars! How does the pattern change? He wrestles with God! Uh oh! That means anytime you wrestle, one person wants one thing, and the other person wants another thing! Anytime you’re wrestling with God, it’s a metaphor for saying you want it to be this way, and He wants it to be that way, and we fight with God over who’s going to get pinned down! And you know the thing that most of us wrestle with? It’s when God asks us for our patterns, and we’re kind of like, well, Lord, this has been with me my whole life! This is kinda how I do my thing! I get in a relationship for about three weeks; it starts to go good, I self-sabotage!
See, I think they’re going to find out who I really am, and then it repeats itself! God says, will you let me change your pattern? Let’s wrestle! Not wrestle country Oklahoma, let’s wrestle like that! I’m talking about people who go bass fishing—uh, what was it, what is it—what is it? Noodling? These are the types of people that put their hand in a fish’s mouth and let it go! I feel like God’s asking all of us, if you really want your damage to no longer have you, we’re going to have to check your patterns! And I’m ready to fight you over your patterns! Let’s wrestle! Let’s see who wins! Jacob comes out of this wrestling match with God, and it says his hip got put out of socket! 'Cause when you wrestle with God, you’re going to feel it! He’s not going to let you think that you can come like you’re Almighty, and you’re not going to walk away from the wrestle!
What you been doing, Jacob? You know me and God! But Jacob had the presence of mind to say, even though—watch this, I’m going to walk out of this thing with a limp, and I’m not going to win! I’m going to stay in this until you bless me! Now I just want to let you know that the blessing was not that my hip didn’t look like it got jacked up for the rest of Jacob’s life; you know what the real blessing was? That his name was changed! He said, because you decided to wrestle with me over your patterns, you have proof that I beat that! But now I’m going to change the pattern! When you wake up and walk out, everybody calls you Jacob, which literally means heel-grabber—somebody that will manipulate and bring down. He said, I’m going to change your name, and now your name is Israel!
So every time—there is nothing more pattern-changing than somebody changing your whole name! I mean, imagine if your name is Shirley, and tomorrow everybody starts calling you Fantasia! That would be a change of pattern! And God says, I’m the only one; if you give me your patterns, I’ll change your name! Pastor Mike, make it practical! Alright, I’mma show you; because everybody wants the promise, but I’mma show you your patterns! Put it up on the screen for me because I want this to be very practical! We have patterns that prophesy, and I’m going to show you how we can change this thing! We have a pattern, we have the product of our pattern, and then we have a promise! I literally could do 40 of these! But what I want you to do this week is write this chart down, and I want you to make it personal for you! I don’t want you to just come here and hear me speak on Sunday, be like, that was good; it’s not good unless it works in your life!
And so I need you to change the pattern! Maybe this week you don’t just listen; maybe this week you actually follow up with meditation around, God, what are you trying to say to me through this message? So I want everybody to do this exercise! Many of our patterns are: No sleep, no rest! How many people could use an extra month of sleep right now? Come on! A whole month? Don’t call me, don’t ask! Feed me through a tube and put a catheter in, 'cause I don’t want to get up and go to the bathroom! Like an extra month of sleep! But that no sleep in the pattern—no rest in the pattern, scrolling till 4 a.m. in the pattern, and got to get your school kids to school at 6! Like it’s the pattern! The product is anxiety every day, all the time! I’m forgetting something; I don’t know what’s going on. What’s happening?
You can counteract it with the promise of peace; He’s the Prince of Peace. You need to lean into the promise so it can change, and then you get a different product. We need to lean into God. You are the Prince of Peace. Your word says that you give peace that passes all understanding. I don’t understand why my kids are so difficult. I don’t understand why I’m not in a better financial position. But God, you can give peace that passes all of that. So today, I pray about everything. I bring everything to you with thanksgiving, and I’m believing that you’re going to give me peace, which changes my situation. Everybody wants the promise without changing the pattern.
Let me give you another one: okay, you have a pattern of hiding things. Some of you have accounts that you’ve forgotten to pin to, with so many things stored away just in case the backup plan doesn’t back up. Nobody has access to your email or your phone. Identity theft? The enemy has already stolen that. You’re trying to protect something that you can get back. Your soul is the only thing you can’t reclaim if you let the enemy take it. But you’re hiding things. So the product of that is addiction. Do you know how many people are addicted to things here and don’t even consider it an addiction because it’s part of their pattern? We let patterns pass because they please us.
Okay, how many people are pleased by having something sweet late at night? Sound familiar? Because it pleases us, then we rationalize it and say, «It’s not that bad. It’s only four cookies.» Someone says it’s only six. It’s just four cookies, but four cookies times 20 nights—y’all know what I’m saying? Someone tried to call me out. «Pastor, do you have a calculator?» You should help the man of God. But four cookies times 20 nights is 80 cookies. What if you went to the store every time and said, «Please give me 80 cookies; I’m about to devour them?» We don’t think about it like that because what the enemy does is he desensitizes you, making it a pattern that you accept. But the end result is still forfeiting your promise. I’m trying to give you practical things, okay? The promise of God for everyone struggling with addiction is this: «Whom the Son sets free is free indeed,» or free in action.
Okay, let me give you another pattern: comparison. Uh-oh, because some of you have been here all service, and you aren’t even looking at me. You look like one of those chickens—looking at their clothes, their bands, their likes. The product of your comparison? Watch it—it’s insecurity. I don’t even understand why there are more beautiful people in this world who don’t think they’re beautiful, more creative people who don’t think they’re creative, and more talented people who don’t think they’re talented. It’s not a product of your talent, beauty, or giving. It’s the pattern of comparison. The quickest way to devalue something great is to compare it to something else. But what do we do? We have a promise from our God: confidence. I am who God says I am. He who began a good work in me shall be faithful to complete it. Y’all, we need to lean into the promises so we can change the pattern and get a brand new product. Last one: I need y’all to do this this week—don’t play me, because all of your patterns.
Okay, let me help you: it’s easier to start with a product than it is to start with a pattern because y’all are like, «What’s my pattern?» It’s so normal you don’t even know the product. Start with that. What do you do that you don’t like? What do you do that if everybody knew, you would cringe on the inside? Start with that. Okay, can I be honest? Yes. For years, I wore Spanx. Now the ladies are laughing because they know what those are; men, not so much. The dudes from Australia are like, «Spanx? What are Spanx?» But instead of working out and committing to healthy eating, I wanted to change the product. If I would come out here in a full-body suit, I had to get help to put it on. I would be in a full wrestling suit under all my clothes because I wanted to quickly change the product, but I wasn’t committed to changing the pattern. So I was uncomfortable every day, up here yelling, and still felt fat and insecure because I was giving an illusion of the product. But what God wanted to check in my life was the pattern. He said, «Michael, in two years, you won’t have to wear it if you would walk every day.»
«God, I’m walking!» «No, no, no, not to the refrigerator!» Come on, some of us try to use stuff as a workout. It’s not a workout if you’re just going to eat it all back up. «Stop! I walk to Krispy Kreme—that’s not your workout!» On Sunday mornings before I come out here at 6 a.m., I’m up every Sunday, and my trainer Vic is at the house. «Get up, big dog!» Why? Because I had to address my pattern. If for some reason my jacket and shirt fell off, she was like, «Wait, don’t do this!» I’m not! It’s not an example. Stop! I would not be ashamed of my vulnerability for you to see—not because it’s perfect, but I’ve changed my pattern. Because I changed my pattern, it has radically changed the product. Romans 12:2—this is where we’ll end: «Do not conform to the patterns of this world.» I love when the Bible just summons people. Stop conforming to the patterns of your coworkers. Stop conforming to the patterns of your parents' traditions. Stop conforming to the patterns of your favorite social media star. He said, «Don’t conform to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.»
Okay, very quickly, how do you change a pattern? What I was doing to change the pattern? Number one: take the pattern. Acknowledge what it is. How many of you know you have a pattern right now that you want to change? Hands in the air. Okay, can we admit it? This week, I need everybody to write down five patterns that they need to change. Acknowledge it! «I curse too much.» She said, «Oh, I hate churchy people!» Because if you slam your hand in the door, somebody says, «Jesus!» for most of y’all. But we want to change it into that. So, so, so, I’m asking you to acknowledge that you go off on your kids too quickly. As soon as they do something, you punish them instead of disciplining them. Punishment is emotional. Discipline is for teaching for the future. Many of us mess up discipline because we punish, and now it creates another trauma wound for your child, and they’re going to act out anyway because they feel invisible. What I’m saying is let’s just admit we do it. I keep saying it, but parents, and I’m a parent, the greatest parenting sin is pride. Just admit you forgot the treat you promised your child. That’s way more integrous than saying, «You don’t need any candy anyway.»
«What? You told me that if I got an 'A, ' you were going to get me candy!» «Daddy forgot. I’m sorry, I made a promise to you and forgot. I will make it up to you, and I need you to forgive me. Do you forgive Daddy? I am so sorry.» Do you know what that teaches generationally? So take—everybody say take—the pattern. Take the pattern. Number two: break the pattern. Break the pattern. If you’re going to do something else, you have to break the pattern you’ve been in, and you have to abandon what was. For me to start working out, I had to break the pattern of sleeping in. I just gave you a hack because we always think that the thing that breaks the pattern is in the field we’re trying to create the promise. But when I decided to work out, I had to break the pattern of sleeping in. I love sleeping in, but the only time in my schedule that I could actually work out was in the morning before the kids got up. So to get a brand new pattern, I had to break a pattern that I loved. What are you willing to break to get the promise?
Number three—everybody say take the pattern, break the pattern, make the pattern. Make the pattern. Arrange what you desire it to be. Stop talking about how you don’t have the product you want. Make the pattern you want. Do you not want to be broke? Live in a house you can afford. Okay, I know it sounds super simple, but if you don’t want to eat out all the time, cook! Well, that means you have to learn how to cook. That means you’re going to start a new pattern! If you want to have good friends, be a good friend. «Nobody calls or checks on me.» No, you don’t call or check on anybody else!
Take the pattern! Everybody say take the pattern, break the pattern, make the pattern. Shake the pattern! Now some of y’all are so committed to the tradition of your pattern that it’s been the same for 42 years. «No, no, no, no! I sit on the front row everywhere I go! They make way for the anointing that’s coming in!» My train is filling the tempo; that’s his TR. Okay, maybe you don’t need to sit on the front row—maybe you need to serve in kids' ministry. Maybe you don’t need a title in this next season. Maybe you need a task. Okay, let God shake the pattern. He’ll take what you thought was your thing and change it just to see if you were committed to Him or to that thing. Me producing music—I thought that was it! I thought that was how God was going to get glory from my life, and God was like, «Yeah, build a studio, but don’t ever work in it.» «Yeah, I want you to have what you consider the apex of your musical career, but instead of idolizing it, look at it every day and know that I’m telling you, you can’t do that.» Huh? He shook the pattern, and I would not be standing here today, ministering the word of God and touching thousands of people’s lives with something I wasn’t even good at at the time. He told me I had to kill what I was.
He shook the pattern, and what I’m saying to you is maybe the career you’re about to retire from is not the place of God’s greatest glory in your life. I’m just saying maybe what everybody knows you for up until now is not what you will be known for when you go on to glory. What if He wants to shake the pattern? What do you mean, Pastor Mike? Be available for edits. The crazy thing about that beat that I made is if an artist gets on top of that, depending on what melodies they sing, we would have to edit what I played. It felt good with no singers on top of it, but if a singer gets on there and goes to another chord, we would have to change everything. We would have to edit what was there because something greater was supposed to come on top of it.
Okay, I’ve got to move—everybody say take the pattern, break the pattern, make the pattern, shake the pattern, bake the pattern! Baking takes time. You can’t bake anything quickly. Most of us, when we commit to a pattern, say, «God, do it in two and a half days!» If God, I’m just letting you know I’ve got things coming up, so in the next 72 hours, I need you to work this miracle. Abraham had to wait 25 years. Will you allow God to bake this pattern? Will you allow Him to take all the pieces of your life and say, «Alright, just set it right there and give it time?» Then watch the heat. You can’t bake anything without heat. This is why most of us lose. As soon as it gets hot, we say, «Take me out!» «It was hot in there! That accountability thing? Oh, too hot for me! Telling the truth? Therapy?» But God, I want your will. Change my patterns, Lord. He said, «Oh yeah, yeah, yeah! Let me put you in some time and some heat.» They misunderstand my intentions. «Uh-huh? No, you’ve got to get out of that heat!» And God is saying, «Would you trust that I don’t just provide fire for you to be hot or hurt? I provide fire to purify you.»
The only way gold is purified is by being put in fire. And I think about those Hebrew boys who wouldn’t bow. God is so good that anytime He puts you in fire, He comes and stands in it with you. For many of us, God’s changing the pattern of our lives, and you don’t have to wrestle. If you obey, I don’t think Jacob had to walk around for the rest of his life with evidence that he was disobedient. Some of you have evidence—the scars and the pain are evidence that you just didn’t listen the first time. And God’s saying you don’t have to live in your marriage, in your life. And you don’t have to continue if you would just change the pattern.
Would everybody stand over this building? It’s so beautiful when I think about patterns because even though many of our patterns have created problems, you know who else has a pattern? Jesus. A few patterns that I thought about are, as it says in the Word, that His grace and mercy are new every morning. That’s a pattern that every day you mess up; as long as the sun comes up, new grace, new mercy. Everybody say, «That’s a pattern.» He has a pattern; He says, «I’ll be the friend that sticks closer than a brother.» Every time you feel lonely, He said, «My pattern is to get up and let you know I’m with you.» Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you don’t have to fear any evil. Why? Because His pattern is to be with you. He’s Jehovah Jireh—somebody say, «My provider.» That’s His pattern. He’s Jehovah Shalom—He’s my peace. Everybody say, «That’s my peace; that’s His pattern.»
Okay, what are you saying, Pastor Mike? This is what I want you to get: your pattern has to change, but God’s pattern never does. This is how you can walk in confidence because God’s not about to drop you; He’s not about to leave you. So in this «Damaged but Not Destroyed» series, week six, I came to ask you to check your patterns. I want you to seriously write down that list: what are the things you know you don’t want to do anymore? I don’t want to have to go to alcohol to deal with it, and I don’t want to have to gossip. Because everybody’s like, «Alcohol? Yeah. Weed? Yeah.» But gossip—you are toxic, and everything you touch with your words dies. You want to change that? You have to address the pattern.
As I was preparing for this message, the Holy Spirit said, «Michael, here are a few things I need you to address.» I said, «Lord, this message is for the people; I’m Your humble servant. I’ll give it to them.» But my wife and I have had communication issues; we haven’t been clicking. For two days, we just haven’t been on the same page, and I’m sharing vulnerably. Bri and Aaron are sitting in the room with us while we’re arguing. Make sure you have friends that can sit with you while you argue; no, it’s really good.
I know some of you wouldn’t allow that to happen because you don’t trust them, but sometimes you just need people to be there as mediators. I’m still leading the church; I still have to preach on Sunday. I still have to do all that stuff, but this is His bride; that’s mine—y’all missed that. And the Holy Spirit, as I’m preparing to talk to you about the patterns that prophesy, said, «Alright, come here, son. This is a pattern I need you to address. I need you to come to me, and I need you to take it. I need you to break it; I need you to make it.» So what? I need you to allow it to be. By this time next year, the communication’s going to be different; the products are going to be different because today you’re going to start a brand-new pattern. If you know there’s a pattern in your life that needs to change, hands lifted right now.
Father, I thank You that we’re doing the first step. We’re acknowledging that we have some stuff that needs to change in our pattern, and God, You are the pattern breaker. You literally stepped out of eternity to break the pattern of sin in humanity’s life. And today, we know that the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is available to all of us right now. There is no sin, there is no temptation, there is no habit, and there is no vice that is bigger than the name of Jesus. So today, God, we’re asking You to interrupt our generational patterns, the generational habits, and even what some would call the generational curses. Father, You broke the curse through what You did; let us not believe lies anymore. Father, every addict, every liar, every manipulator, every self-righteous person, every greedy person, every person that manipulates with their words, today, God, we’re asking You to help us change our patterns. And when You ask us to give up something, Father God, give us the wisdom not to wrestle with You. Let us trust that what You have for us is better than what we’ve had on our own. Today, God, we’re ready for the heart surgery, and when You put us in the fire, I thank You that it’s not to hurt us; it’s to heal us. You’re taking this group of people from trauma to triumph. Do it from the inside out!
If you’re in this room right now and you know that you need to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior, there’s something happening right now in this place. You’re saying, «God, I want You. I want You to do the work on the inside of me, and I want to accept Jesus as my Lord.» On the count of three, whether you’re in the room or you’re watching online, or if someone sent this to you on rebroadcast, I just want you to shoot your hand up in the air. People are praying for you, and God’s doing a work all over this room. I don’t know if you sense that; this is not the time to run out. Today, God is about to do something on the inside of you. If you want to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior, on the count of three, just lift your hands.
One, you’re making the greatest decision of your life. Two, it’s going to make you a progressing person. I went from being a liar, a manipulator, and addicted to pornography, and now God’s doing a progressive work in my life. Your name is going to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If you’re ready, three, just shoot your hands up all over this room. I see you; I see you; I see you; I see you. Oh, come on, y’all. I see you. God sees you. All the way in the back, I see you. Glory to God! Now, Transformation Church, nobody’s perfect in here, so we pray together as a family for the benefit of those who are coming to Christ. Just lift your hands and say:
God, thank You for interrupting the pattern of sin in my life. Today, I ask You to be Lord. Lord, I believe You died, and You rose again with all power. Take my life; I’ll serve You forever. Change me, renew me, transform me; give me new patterns. In Jesus' name, amen.