Michael Todd - Fresh Cut (You're Getting Cut Either Way)
Welcome to Transformation Church, where we believe in worshiping God. I’ve never actually started a service without my suit jacket, and because of the worship that just went forth, I had to take that off; it was making me look crazy. My collar was up because I was praising so hard, and that was a distraction in the spirit and the natural. I looked at myself on the screen and said, «Oh no, take it off!» Welcome to week four of a series we’re calling—somebody say—fresh fruit! At Transformation Church, we believe that this year God has given us a prophetic word, and the word is «fruit.»
Out of our lives, out of our marriages, out of our money, out of our businesses, out of our thought processes, there needs to be—what is the word? —fruit. Many of us have not seen fruit in our lives in decades; it’s been the same cycle. But I believe, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the revelation through teaching, and the Spirit of God that is in this place, along with your desire to continue to hunger and thirst after those things that God is saying, I believe this year is going to be a turnaround year for many of us. Now, you don’t have to believe that, but for those who do, there’s something that happens to you. The Bible always says, «According to your faith.» You have nothing to lose by actually believing God.
So today, in the two minutes that I have to preach this word to you, I’m going to try to do something that leaves a mark in your head that will never leave you ever again. The name of this series is fresh fruit, but there’s a tagline we have yet to emphasize, and today I felt, by the Holy Spirit, I was supposed to emphasize it to you. The name of this entire series is fresh fruit: the proof is in the fruit. Write that down: the proof is in the fruit. I need to say this to believers now: if you’re not a believer yet, I love you; I will talk to you in just a second. Just hold on—you can listen in on this private conversation I’m about to have with people who have confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I don’t care if you smoked, I don’t care if you had sex last night; it’s all good. I’m just glad that you’re here. I know other Christian people won’t tell you that, but I’m with you—why? Because I was there too.
But hold on—let me have a conversation with my family of believers. You talk too much. You talk about what you’re going to do. You talk about the Bible plan you’re going to finish. You talk about the weight you’re going to lose. You talk about being vegan. You talk about being a virgin. But may I submit to you that you could save a lot of words by just actually being the proof of what you desire to do? The proof is in the fruit, because nobody can argue with fruit. They can act like it isn’t there, but they have to step over it to move on. There are too many believers out here with no fruit, so we have to talk about everything we’re going to do and hypothesize. Then, because we’re not producing fruit, we criticize anyone that is, saying it’s not the type of fruit we want. You have nothing to show for everything that God told you, but you have a lot to say.
I need to free the church that wants to produce—everybody say «more fruit"—from the chains of trying to prove yourself. There are too many people under the sound of my voice, with Jesus Christ on the inside of them, who are still trying to prove things. You dressed a certain way today. God’s real quiet; somebody’s like, «Hold on, what is he going to say?» I’ll leave it alone, just so y’all hear what I’m saying. Many of us are doing things trying to prove things to people who don’t even see it. You missed it; you’re doing things today in real life trying to prove things to people—some of whom are in the grave. Still trying to prove to your mama that you’re worth it. Still trying to prove to that coach that you can make it. Trying to prove to that boss who wouldn’t give you a promotion that you’re worth it.
What I came to free you from today is that monkey—that gorilla—that’s been on your back. Listen: the need to prove things comes from the inward doubt of producing things. So when you don’t believe you can actually produce it, because you didn’t do what you said you were going to do, you start trying to prove that you are enough, that you can make it happen. You don’t believe in yourself. What ends up happening is the enemy distorts the motivation of your change. Did you hear what I just said? Many of you are doing the right thing with the wrong motivation. The enemy crept in at the point of your insecurity and flipped your motivation so that you think you’re getting the right results, but it has a bad root.
Oh my! Matthew 7:18 says, «A good tree cannot bear bad fruit.» Did you hear what the word said? A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, but at the same token, a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits, you will know them. Everybody gets exposed by their fruit—did you hear what I just said? This is the thing I want everybody to switch; this has freed me in this new season of being fresh. Somebody say «fresh!» I’m not trying to prove them wrong; I’m trying to produce God right.
I’ll say it one more time: I am no longer waking up, going to work, dressing to prove them wrong. I’m trying to produce God right. If you wake up every morning trying to prove them wrong, you need to repent. I know it actually made you go to the gym because they said you’d never be able to do it. You think, «I’ll show them! I’ll get this! I’ll be this!» But what happens is, when you reach it, where does your motivation come from? What happens when you attain the thing that was motivated by something negative? Today I want you to, everybody say, «Repent!» If there’s any area of your life where you’ve been trying to prove them wrong, repent.
What does it mean? I’m going to produce God right. Did y’all just see how easy that is? See, what every Christian life should look like is us walking around, saying, «How y’all doing?» Turn the lights up! «I’m at the gym! Hey Tammy, what’s up? Brother, you good? What’s your name, man?» «Alan.» Nice to meet you, bro! What’s that? Baby like orange juice? That baby got a chain on—it needs an orange! Look at that baby—two days old with a chain! Black people, here we go. «You want an orange?» Where y’all go to school? Nowhere? You look young, but you’re blessed!
What’s up, fam? You good? It’s good to see you. You want fruit? Your daddy gets it. He wants the fruit. Dad, I’ll give you another one! What’s up, Vic? You tell me to eat fruit all the time! Come on, it’s my trainer right here! Take all this fruit! What’s up, big daddy? You should be able to see the impact of my life not by where I tell you I’ve been. Oh, it’s dark on the camera; it doesn’t matter where I’m at; you can see my fruit! Oh, you want some?
He said, «Over here, over here!» Do you see what happens when you start to produce fruit? You become desirable! I haven’t stopped to watch anybody eat the fruit; I just produce it and drop it off at the gym or the job. Wherever I go, my life should be producing fruit. The saddest part about this moment right now is there are thousands of people around me who desire the fruit, but the bag is empty. Until I flipped it over, nobody even knew that I still didn’t have any fruit.
This is the season where God’s exposing people. He’s turning the bags over. «See that marriage? It looks good on Instagram—no fruit!» «That business? They act like they drive a Lamborghini; they’re in so much debt—no fruit! No fruit!» What happens when the church tells the world, «Come and see our Jesus—no fruit!» «Come and meet the God who changed my life.» Didn’t He change your life 15 years ago? Yes! What has happened since then? Nothing. I just carry around my fruit sack.
I judge other people for not bearing fruit. «Your fruit should be riper than that, man of God.» Where have you dropped off any fruit, preacher? Pastor, I know that from now on, I’m not going to try to prove anybody wrong; I’m just going to say this small phrase in my head: «Look at my fruit!» People can say anything they want about this church. I’m not perfect; I mess up daily. I’m still trying to figure out how to be a pastor. If anybody wants to take my position, you can have it. This is not sexy; this is not fun.
«Oh yes, I want to be a pastor!» That was never my dream, and I’m scared of people who wake up like that, just wanting to get on the platform and give God their all. One thing that I will be able to stand on when I stand before God—I’ll be able to say, «Lord, I messed up several times. I did the wrong thing tons of times, but I always repented and came back to you. But God, I hope there was some fruit in what I did.»
The reason I sleep at night when comments are going crazy is because I know that for every comment, there’s a kiwi. Y’all missed it! For every comment, there’s a cantaloupe. This is where the church has to move to because if we’re going to be effective on any level, if we’re going to reach those people who actually need Jesus, we’re not going to be able to explain to everybody everything that’s happening and why we did what we did.
This is the reason why, as a church, we’re doing Ransom again; now listen! Hold on—before you cheer, before you cheer, before you cheer! We learned some things last year. We learned our platform was way bigger than I thought. We learned that there were a lot of people who were looking for things to be able to reach them, and I was like, «Oh sh! If this was at the PAC or the Performing Arts Center, they would love it.» 'Cause it was on the wrong day at the wrong venue and it was kind of good.
Now, let’s be real! They want me to come out here and whip somebody and like spray some ketchup and it would be like Jesus’s blood—come on! Let’s be honest. They will clown the church about it. We were like, «They didn’t come to Christ because of that.» No, it wasn’t excellent at all! We saw the Hinds and the guys, so it was like, «Ah, that’s too much!» Y’all done rewrote Beyoncé's song, and I mean I know the song, and that wakes my spirits up. I just get you.
So do we stop doing it? Oh no! Because over 600 people got saved! But watch this—but we’re not too prideful to say, «Yeah, we’re just going to do it the same.» No, we’ve been cutting on it; we’ve been submitting it; we’ve been looking at it. We’ve rewritten almost all the songs. We’ve taken the things we said, «Could we do this better?»
What we’re going to do this year is perfect it in-house. This is why it’s not going to be live online for everybody to see. I know all my Transformation Nation people are like, «Forget them, Pastor Mike! Forget them!» I’m in Georgia; I can’t come play it! R for me! I got you—you know I love Transformation Nation. Y’all are ride or die! But hear me! I have enough wisdom to know that if we get it right this year, maybe we can take it on the road! You missed it! I don’t quit on things that produce fruit just because they weren’t perfect.
How many things has God made fruitful that you just said, «Never mind, they didn’t like how it looked.» The first version, the second version, the third version didn’t go over how I thought? God’s saying, «Go back and cut on it.» Somebody say, «Cut on it!» John 15:1 says, «I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit, and He prunes,» which is another word for cut. «He cuts the branches that do bear fruit so that they will produce"—watch this—"even more!»
Somebody say «more fruit!» Say it like you believe it! More fruit! Say it like it’s going to happen in your mind, in your life—more! Say it like your finances are going to reflect it! Say it like your family is going to change—more fruit! When I look at my bank account this week—more fruit! I don’t care what it says. When I walk into my house—what am I saying? —more! I might be at the brink of divorce, but I’m calling it by faith—more fruit! But for more fruit, there’s a formula.
Talking about fresh fruit, fresh vision, and a fresh church, you want more fruit? How many people want more fruit in the building? Get ready to scream for the title of the sermon! It’s going to take a fresh cut! Whoa! Hold on! A fresh cut, Pastor? A fresh cut! You’re witnessing history right now; after 10 years of pastoring, I’ve never, ever come on any platform without a fresh cut. Today, I am up here straight off vacation, where I spent a lot of time in the sun and with the Son. As you can see by my complexion, I didn’t get a fresh cut, so I decided to use this as an illustration of what God’s going to do in our lives. I’m going to get a haircut on stage in front of you, something that is usually done in private. I’m going to do it openly so that you can see the benefit of a fresh cut. Aaron, my barber and friend, is going to come. Y’all give it up for Aaron real quick as he comes.
Now, this is my dog, and I’m going to let him set up, but he is actually terrified of what we’re about to do because what I’m about to do is very dangerous. The level of passion that I preach with and the level of wanting you to get it really affects the way that somebody could cut my hair. This is not rehearsed or planned or practiced; this is about to be very fresh. But I want you to know from the scripture, watch this point and write it down: I’m gonna preach this whole time while he’s cutting me. He got the brother—how are you feeling right now? You feeling great? Our friendship is on the line! Write this down: you’re getting cut either way. Getting cut either way. You’re about to—no, no, no! Not this black thing! Today is watermelon. I don’t want this—use my cape! There we go. Gotta be on brand. Thank you, Jesus! Somebody say you’re getting cut either way! This is God’s process. Cutting is God’s way of eliminating what isn’t producing fruit, and it’s also His way of expanding what is producing fruit.
So if you don’t embrace God cutting you, you are not actually getting the best out of what you have. One cut is going to cause you pain; remember the scripture says anyone who’s not producing fruit, He cuts them off and throws them away. But the people who are producing fruit, He cuts them so they can have more fruit. What I found out is one cut is full of pain, and the other cut is full of promise. What I’m trying to get everybody in this room under the sound of my voice to realize is God, in 2024, when you yell by faith, «More fruit in my marriage, more fruit in my finances, more fruit in my business, more fruit in my family,» He says, «Let me grab my scissors! Are you ready to be cut?»
The thing that really brought me a lot of peace is when I was asked that by the Holy Spirit, «Am I ready to get cut?» My answer was no, because all my life, cut has been associated with something that is either bad, hurtful, painful, or an accident that could end deadly. Uh-uh, I don’t play with that. Since you’re young, no, no, no, no! Don’t use that knife! But God said to me, «Michael, being cut by Me is a promise of more fruit.» He said, «So when I start to cut on your life, I’m promising you I plan to use you again.»
See, I don’t know if anybody ever played on a basketball team, but I was one of those on a team that the coach would always ride harder than he would ride anybody else. I was like, «Coach, you don’t be telling them that!» He’d say, «Shut up and run! They missed the shot too!» He said, «I’m not talking to them, Coach! Why I gotta…» I was a crier when I got angry. Like, when I got really mad—do I have any angry people in here? When you get really mad, the tears just start falling. They’re thug tears; believe that. You better believe that! Yes, sir! But you get so overwhelmed; it’s got to come out somewhere. One day the coach brought me to the side and said, «Michael, the reason I ride you so hard, correct you so hard, and talk to you so hard is because I know you actually have potential to go where none of these other people have potential to go. So if I don’t cut you now, you won’t be ready when it’s time for the competition.»
I just came to tell somebody that the church has done a bad job in this last season of emphasizing how comfortable serving God would be. I need to say this to you: like, just come to God with all your fears and all your tears, and He’ll bottle them up, and He’s going to cuddle them. We make you feel like when you come to God, then somehow it gets easy, and I just want to let you know that our desire for comfort has made us despise His cut. I’m gonna say it one more time: you think if God tells you no, you’re getting punished instead of realizing that if God tells you no, He’s protecting you. You think if God doesn’t allow you to get the position you prayed for that somehow He hasn’t heard your cry, but He actually is answering the prayer you didn’t know how to form with your lips by not letting you get into a position that you’d be locked into because He knows you’re a people pleaser.
If you got that position, you wouldn’t leave there for 15 years, and three years from now, He’s going to open up the actual destiny step that you need, so He told you no now to lead you to the place of purpose. If you desire comfort at the expense of desiring the cut—not from anybody, just regular, I’m talking about from God—you will miss out on what God has for you. I wrote it down like this because I just came back from the beach and wanted to give a praise report. I know we don’t do testimony service anymore, but I want to give you a praise report. I’ve been to the beach a lot of times, and my wife and I did a little withdrawal trip, and I just needed to be refreshed. I’m encouraging every person to pick a time where you actually get refreshed. I know a pastor doesn’t usually tell you that, but Jesus modeled it. Our God modeled it in creation. He literally took a day of Sabbath to be able to recreate, so I’m just asking you to do the same thing.
But that ain’t my point. While I was on the beach, praise report: I felt more comfortable in swim clothes than I ever have in my life! Now, some of y’all won’t shout with me, but you weren’t with me when I was 275. I was so ready to take my shirt off. No, no, I’m serious! I was like, «What we wearing today, baby?» I was getting my bathing suits ready. I wanted to color coordinate: «You wearing pink today? I’ll wear pink today!» What I realized is my comfort on the beach came from the cutting in the gym. Your comfort comes from a place of cutting. You want comfort in your marriage? Go get that cutting in counseling. You want comfort in your finances? How many people would like their finances to be more comfortable?
Come on! Okay, y’all, come on! Cut the budget! Everybody wants comfort; nobody wants cutting. But the cut, watch this, gives you the edge. By the end of this service, by the faith—and crazy faith—of God, this will be sharp because what He’s doing to me right now is cutting me. Sir, there are little micro-cuts over and over and over and over again, but what He’s doing right now is shaping me into the image of what He sees for me because I can’t see it for myself. Most people want to cut themselves, and I’m not talking about in a dangerous way because I know that people have dealt with that lie of the enemy that tells you that you’re better off not here. I come to rebuke that right now and say that you will live and not die. I understand that life; I understand that depression and that despair, but I know there’s hope for you.
What I’m telling you right now is that most people want to get in the mirror with the shavers of life and try to cut the areas of their life they can’t see. Has anybody ever had a bad haircut before? Absolutely! Now, when you see a kid with a bad haircut, it’s kind of expected. Most of the time it’s like, «Oh, look at little Jimmy! God, dog! His mama wanted to save $15 and put a bowl around his head.» Y’all remember them chili bowl cuts? Jimmy walks out like, «Bro, what happened to you?» «My mama, bro! She just—» Jimmy don’t mess with Jimmy with the chili bowl; he’ll fight you! Then she tries to put a part in it; the part is the size of the Red Sea splitting. But with kids, you understand it.
What I cannot get is grown men who really won’t humble themselves enough to let somebody else cut their hair. I know you’re trying to save money, and I appreciate that, but your haircut makes you look incompetent. I’m gonna tell you why; you don’t have a woman! No, okay, ladies, back me up: when you see a dude whose head does not look like he cares, you start judging. Now, I’m being very superficial at this moment, but I want you to see the point. A bad haircut, especially one that somebody does to themselves, comes from someone who is not humble enough to submit to the vision of someone else. I have no idea what he’s doing to my head; I have no idea what guard he has on. I have no idea if he’s feeling fruity and wants to cut Spider-Man in the back of my head. I have no idea, but I trust him! I’ve sat in this chair so many times. I’ve sat at dining room tables where he learned how to cut hair—cutting me and my brothers in my parents' laundry room.
So when I’m on this platform getting my haircut in front of hundreds of thousands of people, I am calm because I’ve been here before. I trust him! When it comes to your spiritual life, have you been with God long enough that you will trust His cut? You’ll trust when He tells you, «Not that friend.» I know that’ll be a come-up for your social media, but they’re not for you. «Well, God, we love all the same things! If you just gave me a connection…» «Not them.» «Well, God, I feel what you’re saying, but I’m still around these other people, so if you really want me not to be around them, then you will remove them from my life.» He said, «No, I won’t! I’ll let you have what you want. Go ahead, have it! I’ll just be here when what I tried to protect you from actually really cuts you.»
See, the God that we serve is a master surgeon. The Bible tells us His words can cut through bone and marrow. So today, all I’m trying to ask this church to do is: if you want fresh fruit, you need a fresh cut. Look at Hebrews 12:6: «For the Lord disciplines and corrects and cuts those whom He loves.» «God, do you love me?» «Yes, I do! Sit still and let me cut you!» Have you ever thought about God’s love like that? Because most of us want God’s love to be a big hug: «Comfort me, Lord! Cuddle me, Lord! Hug me, Jesus!» No! God says, «I love you so much that I’m about to cut you! Stay still! Stop talking! Don’t move! This is going to hurt just a little bit, but I promise you, I’ve been cut worse than this, and I went through every cut that you would ever have to go through so that you could know that with Me, you’re going to make it out on the other side.» He said, «The Lord disciplines and corrects those whom He loves, and He prunes every son whom He receives, or He punishes every son whom He receives and welcomes to His heart.»
Verse 7 says, you must watch this: «submit to correction for the purpose of discipline». God is dealing with you as one of His sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? Now, if you are exempt from correction and without discipline, in which all of God’s children share, then you are an illegitimate child and not a son at all. Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who discipline us, and we submitted and respected them for training us. Shall we not much more willingly submit to the Father of spirits and live by learning from His discipline? For our earthly fathers discipline us for only a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good so that we may share His holiness. For the time being, no discipline brings joy, but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness, right standing with God, and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God’s will and purpose. If you’re not submitting to the cut, you will not be able to produce more fruit.
So, Pastor Mike, very plainly, what is the cut of God very simple? C Correcting. If you’re getting cut by God, He’s correcting you. Like Aaron is correcting the sweat that is coming. Oh dang, all in my mouth! Sometimes when God is correcting you, it feels like, dang, could you not do it a different way? Has anybody ever had God do something and you were like, «But this was the way you had to do it?» But what we just heard is that when God corrects you, it’s because He loves you. I want to bring back to every person in this room the idea that God’s correction is God’s love. So when God tells you, «No more sleeping with them,» Pastor, you said that in church—you’re doing it at your house. When God says, «Stop spending money on that brand.» When God says, «Join the church"—well, God, I was hurt in my last church—He said, «I’m about to correct some things, but you have to submit to my corrections.»
Watch this—this is the big thing: If God is not correcting you, be concerned! Any area of my life where I feel like every area is good and God has nothing else to do, I’d be like, uh-oh. Either I’m not listening, or He stops speaking. The church needs to be awakened to the fact that as long as we are in this Christian walk, there will be something that God is trying to get off of us.
Okay, so hear me—and I know a lot of y’all are used to me running around, jumping around, and doing all the other stuff, and you’re like, «Man, this is different just watching him sit there.» I’m not going to walk around all week looking crazy because I wasn’t still enough to be in the place I needed to be to get cut on.
The crazy thing about a correcting cut is that, many times, God uses other people to correct you. You would be fine if it was God Almighty, the big man upstairs, going to correct you. He knows how to get your attention. He sent you a wife, and He gave you kids. You okay, buddy? You good right there? Do I need to stop for a second? 'Cause you know you’re on the front part—good, good, good. Okay, I’m just going to take a second; I’m gonna pause for the cause.
Oh hold on, you can’t—okay, no, no, no, go back, go back to that, go back! I’m just going—they’re going to have to wait. Now, we sing «Wait on the Lord» and I told Him to cut an area, and as soon as He started, I moved. No, no, no, no! I’ll wait on you, I’ll wait on you. This is how a lot of our Christian life looks. God has you in a position; He’s trying to cut on you, trying to do something, and every time you start doing stuff like this… What if you try to turn it on?
You know why God doesn’t turn on a lot of the blessings? It’s 'cause your hand is still on it. It’s because you’re trying to direct where it’s going. He said, «This will hurt you too much if I turn this on right now. If I turn on the favor, if I turn on the blessing—if I turn it on, I need you to sit. Yes, sir, that’s so good.»
So as I sit here, I’m letting somebody else cut me. God doesn’t give me haircuts; Aaron does. Many times, God does not speak to me about my attitude; Natalie does. Y’all are missing it! Many times, God doesn’t directly speak to me about my inconsistencies; Bella, Ava, MJ, and G do.
He’s using people to correct you, and you won’t listen 'cause they ain’t lived this life like I have. I’m the breadwinner of this house, a grown man. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Come on, think of all the colloquialisms we say. But Proverbs 27:6 says, «Faithful are the wounds—the cuts—of a friend who corrects out of love and concern, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful because they serve his hidden agenda.» Some of y’all are being killed by kisses, and God’s saying you need to desire for me to cut on you again because when I cut you, it means I love you.
So the C in God cutting stands for, everybody say, «Correcting.» The U stands for, watch this, «Unveiling.» When I come to the barber shop, it’s one of the most vulnerable positions. All men know. When somebody starts washing and touching on your head, shampooing and cutting, you just start telling business. And ladies, we already know what y’all be doing in there. If they’re coloring, don’t let you be getting a color and a layering and all the other stuff that’s happening; y’all just be telling all your business! God said, «Why would you tell a person that’s cutting your hair all your business, and you won’t tell me everything that’s going on?» I know it anyway, but you won’t bring it to me.
When God starts cutting on you, He wants there to be—oh, watch this—an unveiling. The reason I use this word «unveiling» is because there was an unveiling that happened through what Jesus did for all of us. In Matthew 27:50, it says, «Then Jesus shouted again, and He released His Spirit. At that moment, the curtain in the sanctuary of the temple was torn in two. He tore the veil from the top to the bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split apart.»
When Jesus Christ went to the cross, died for us, and rose again, what He did was tear the veil between man and God. What are you saying, Pastor Mike? He said there has to be no separation between us. So if He did that work for the veil, for the cover, or the separation to be torn, He said if you ever put anything up between us again, I’m gonna cut it. You put success between me and you, I’mma cut it. You put your family between me and you, I’m going to cut it. Anything! I’m telling you this is why the Bible tells us; He said don’t make anything else an idol, don’t serve any other gods before me.
It doesn’t say any other gods won’t be there. He said there are other things that you will value, but if they’re before me, they come between us, I’m cutting it. He said, «I tore the veil once, and I’ll cut all the other ones.» Is there anything in your life that has become a curtain between you and God? I can’t answer it for you, but if God starts cutting you, He’s going to start doing it first by correcting you, and the second thing He’s going to do is start unveiling things.
Do not be surprised for the rest of 2024 when God starts to pull the curtain back on stuff. You’re sitting next to people who you don’t know who they really are, and you have two choices: You either move the curtain, or you let Him cut it. Some of y’all, He’s been walking up with scissors, saying, «Please just expose yourself! Please just tell your wife the truth! Please just tell the company you’ve been stealing from! Just go to them!» 'Cause when He cuts it, it’s going to expose whatever is back there.
Yes, sir! Yes, sir! I’m telling you right now that’s why ministries and pastors and different things are falling at a rate that is like, what in the world? It’s because God’s been telling you. He does it all the time; He tries to deal with people He loves in private. But if you won’t cut it, if you won’t remove the veil—if you won’t take this addiction and this habit and this thing away that is between us—He said, «I’ll cut it up until you have nothing but Me.»
So, you want God to begin to cut on you. The C stands for «correcting,» the U stands for «unveiling,» and the last one: What is the cut of God? It’s testing. When God begins to cut on you, He’s testing you. Every time Aaron and I do this every Sunday morning, it’s a test of our friendship. 'Cause I’ll be preparing my sermons, and the reason he can do this is because I’ve done this several times before. I’ve been excited about a point, and he’s got a razor on my champ like, «Bro, that is going to be a good point right there.» And every time I do it, the reason it was a reflex for him is because he’s been tested in this area and so have I.
God says, «I’m going to cut you, but it’s not for you to be terrified. I’m just testing, watch! Do you really trust Me?» Proverbs 3:5-6 says, «Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.» The Holy Spirit has been over and over telling me, «Michael, I’m about to cut you. I’m about to expose some things. I’m about to correct you in a couple areas.»
And this is all He says to me: «Do you trust Me?» And I’m coming to this body of believers today, and I’m asking you: Do you trust God? Do you trust Him with your life? Do you trust Him with your family? Do you trust Him, watch this, with your purpose? Do you trust Him? Sometimes you’ve got to shut up and take over. «Have Your way, have Your way! Whatever You want to do, whatever You want to do, have Your way!» I’m not telling Him what area to work on. When He just went from my edge to my mouth to the back of my head, I couldn’t say, «Bro, just do the mouth, then do the back, then are you doing my eyebrows?» You’re special! I’m not telling 'cause He sees what I don’t see.
When you don’t trust God, what you’re saying is, «I see it better than you see it.» Pastor Mike, why is this so important? 'Cause I just want you to realize that we are going to produce more fruit this year. I’m going to say it one more time: We are going to produce more fruit this year! Okay? But that means there may be a fresh cut. That’s okay! It’s fine to make people wait while you get cut in an area that’s sensitive.
It’s fine for your family. When you’re going to have kids, He’s cutting on me—that’s good! That’s so good! «Well, I thought you would be a millionaire; I thought I’d be able to retire you.» You should have picked a better career, Dad! He’s waiting on me to hit the lottery; you need a second job! It’s okay! And when God gives you seasons where He’s not working on you, it doesn’t mean He’s not finished. Don’t focus on the pain of the cut, but focus on the promise of the cut. At the end of every good haircut, there’s—there’s alcohol. Now, I don’t know if women go through this; I don’t think y’all do. Do y’all go through this? Hot water? Okay, no. Then white ladies are like, alcohol? What? Mimosas? What? No, no, no.
But when you’re getting an edge up like this, there are a bunch of mini, micro cuts that are happening, and there might be some blood. It might cut me to the point where it causes something inside of me to come out. And what happens with the barber is at the end of the haircut, he takes alcohol and he says, «Get ready!» 'Cause every man knows it’s going to be spicy! And he hits it. If he’s a good barber, he might blow on it. He might have a fan or something. And them gangster barbers, they just let it sizzle. If your haircut is $25 or less, they’re going to let it sizzle these days! They just throw it on there and laugh at you.
Yeah, yeah! Do the whole thing, bro! Go for it! But if God allows the alcohol—the cleansing, the purifying of the cuts—to burn a little bit, know that it’s so nothing gets infected. Jesus! The reason why some of the relationships have gone bad is because you didn’t let Him cleanse them. The reason why that business partner didn’t work out is because you didn’t let Him cleanse them.
So how do I embrace the cut? One word: surrender. This entire service, I have had to surrender to a seat to receive the cut that I needed, and most of us have not surrendered. I’ve got too many people watching me to surrender! I’ve got too much potential to surrender! Do you know what I could do with all the things that God’s given me? And God’s saying, «Surrender!» What’s another word for «surrender,» Pastor Mike? Sit down! What’s another word for sit down, Pastor Mike? Stay still! What’s another word for stay still? Write this one down: Abide!
John 15:5 goes on and says, «Yes, I am the true vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me, you can do nothing.» In another translation, it says, «Those who abide in Me.» Some of y’all have been moving too much for God to cut where He needs to and not kill you. God’s saying, «Would you just stay still? Would you just plant in a church? Would you actually continue to go to the group? Would you actually submit to counseling? Would you actually just stay still in a place long enough so I can do this surgery on you?»
And some of y’all are like, «What is he doing right now?» This is what in the barber world they call enhancements! See, when you get a master barber and they can see what you don’t see; they can fill in the holes and gaps. That’s good. The areas y’all be like, «Dang, P, Mike’s beard be so nice.» That ain’t me; that’s the grace of God. Hear what I’m saying to you: it presents me in a way that my own effort could not. It gives me the ability to have the appearance of what’s not really mine. It kind of sounds like salvation. It kind of sounds like any man that is in Christ, he is a new creation.
So when the debt comes up for all the sin that I’ve made, I get the enhancement of Jesus Christ being the one that stands in front of me and fills in every gap, every hole, every area that my hair could not grow, every area that my life could not produce. He does not look at me, but he looks at Jesus. For every patchy place in my life, I get the enhancement of the Holy Spirit. I’ll preach this thing right now, and some of you are like, «That’s fake; that’s favor.» Hey, and every woman judging me, shut up. Dyeing your hair and dyeing your roots, don’t do me. Oh, I don’t do that? You wear wigs? Okay, whatever. No, just you got your clip-ins, and oh, come on, I know white ladies with clip-ins. I know, I know.
Come on, all of us at some time need favor we don’t deserve, need somebody to cover us when we don’t actually have the ability to do it ourselves. What is it going to take for us to surrender? Courage! Today I want to pray for everybody to have courage. Now listen, everyone that’s under the sound of my voice right now, I know some of y’all are saying, «Pastor M, if God’s going to cut me, can He just do it in the areas that, you know what I’m saying, aren’t that serious? Can He just do it in the areas that, you know what I’m saying, seem comfortable? Some of these areas I’ve been growing too long.» Hey, Maxwell, come here real quick. I put on Instagram earlier this week: I said, «Does anybody want to cut their dreads off?» What’s up, dawg? You good? Sir, how long you been growing those dreads? Six years? Six years? Six years of consistency of growing something that God may ask, «Are you okay with letting that go?»
Now, this is how people know you. This is your style; this is your swag. This is your—watch this—identity. When people describe you, they say, «You know, the tall, handsome dude with the dreads.» What if God wants to cut an area that people describe you by? Now, are you willing to not be who you’ve been to become who God’s created you to be? That’s good preaching right there, and most of you are so committed to the identity of the season you’ve been in that you will not embrace the cut so you can have a brand new identity. Hey Aaron, I’ma give my man this chair 'cause sometimes you’re going to need courage, and you’re going to need people around you. You okay with your wife? Okay, okay, 'cause I don’t need Mary mad at me. Mary, you good? Put it on; you got some scissors? We need some scissors!
Give me some scissors. You got some shears? Somebody give me some scissors. You got the shears? You got the thing? They didn’t bring it in the pack? Scott took them? Scott, go get some scissors; we don’t mind waiting. No, just, what I’m saying to you is, sometimes that’s how God will do you. He’ll put you in the chair, and He’ll be like, «Just wait on me.» What? Like I got to just wait on you? In my hands? This is dangerous, but in a master’s hands… just don’t do them all at the same time. What? I don’t—let me—I’ve never done this before. You could do this. What do you think? He actually said he wants it this? You cool? Six years; a lot of intentionality, a lot of building your life around something, a lot of rubber bands, a lot of hot summers, and a lot of warm winters. But this is what some people would call freedom.
Would you be willing to get cut by God for Him to place—give me your hand—freedom in your hand? Hear what I’m saying to you. Somebody said he looks good; God’s not even finished with him yet. Here, here’s what I’m saying. I know this is a long analogy and we sat here this whole time, and I got a fresh cut, and he got a fresh cut. Will you let God cut areas of your life that you have grown accustomed to, or will you make this the place that God’s done working on you? Stand in all over this building. Keep going; don’t leave my man like that. Just keep going; we can do it after church. We ain’t going to leave you like that, and neither will God. If there’s an area of your life—watch this—before everybody rushes out, please don’t miss this moment. If there is an area of your life that you know you’re going to need courage to stay still for God to do the cutting, I need you to lift both of your hands right now. Okay?
We’re in the right building. I’m going to pray for courage for you today, and everybody under the sound of my voice, I believe that there is going to be a supernatural strength. Watch this: to stay still. Everybody talks about the strength to fight, but I’m talking about the strength to stay still, the strength to make it through. I’m talking about the strength to let God do what only He can do and be still.
Father, I pray for every person under the sound of my voice that today, as you begin to identify areas that you want to correct them in, unveil things in, and even test them in. I thank you that today, as a church, we will embrace the cutting because when you cut, you cut from love. Today, Father God, you desire for us to produce more fruit, but God, we don’t get more fruit and fresh fruit without a fresh cut. So Father, today we are saying we are submitted to your hand, not the hand of our friends and our family. But God, you are the one that can actually cut us, and it doesn’t kill us. You’re the one that can cut us, and it cultivates us. It brings us into more fruit. But Father, can we be honest? We need courage today for every person, Father, who you are placing on their heart an area that they need to let you begin to do surgery. Today, Father God, would you give them the courage that you gave Joshua: «Be strong and courageous»? Would you give them the courage you gave Abraham? Would you give them the courage you gave Moses? Would you give them the courage, Father, you gave Bishop Gary and Pastor Debbie? Would you give us the courage, Father God, that you gave Daniel in the lion’s den? Would you give us the same courage that Jesus had to go to the cross? That same Spirit that was in Him and that raised Him from the dead, you said in your word, is in us. So today, we believe that you have made us courageous enough to embrace the cut, and when you do it, we won’t run from you, and when you do it, we won’t hide. When we do it, we won’t stand and curse you; we’ll say, «Thank you! Thank you for seeing me enough! Thank you for caring enough! Thank you for calling me son and daughter! Thank you for loving me enough, Father, to cut away the things, to prune me so that in the next season, I will produce much more fruit. Today I thank you that fruit is going to be the proof of our relationship with you, in our marriages, in our families, in our businesses, in the way we love, in the way we forgive, and in the way we get angry. Father, let there be fruit; cut what you got to cut.
There’s a sweet presence in this room because I found that any surgery that you’ve ever been in, they tell you to stay still. There are some surgeries that are so deep and so important that they strap you down because your movement—not the cut, but your movement—could cause you. And I don’t know who this is for, but there’s some planting that needs to go on in your life. Some of y’all need to put down roots in places long enough for God to do the work. Some of you come to church every Sunday; God is saying don’t miss it. For some of you, it’s getting in small groups. For some of you, it’s going to counseling. For some of you, it’s getting in a place where you can actually be honest about what you’re going through. But I’m hearing the Holy Spirit say, „Get there and stay there.“ I feel this so strong: get there and stay there. Some of y’all need to move, and others of you need to stay. You were about to go somewhere, and God said that ain’t it. You need to stay where I placed you 'cause this next season is about the cutting.
Stay still and know… hold on; ain’t that a scripture? „Be still and know that I’m God.“ I don’t know what you’re going to do, but know that I’m God. I see it from a different perspective. Your life is not over; I’m just transforming you in this season. „Well, I’m supposed to be done with college; all my friends are done with…“ I’m not done with you. I’m cutting on you. And God, today as a church, we say, I don’t mind waiting. I don’t mind waiting. I’m trusting my way on you, Lord. Do what you want to do. I’m trusting my way. I don’t mind waiting; I don’t mind waiting on you, Lord. At Transformation Church, real quick, I just want to let everybody know we don’t care that people are getting cut around us. This is not a big deal for us; we’re in the business of transformation.
So when people aren’t getting cut around us, that’s the weird thing. When our staff, our team—this thing—we’re getting cut on all the time, all the time. Why? Because we want more fruit! And I just want to let you know that if you come in here and every week you’re at the altar, every week you’re in the right place 'cause this is the cutting place. Let Him do the work. If you’re in this room and you’ve never accepted Jesus, the one who is the gardener, today I want to give you the opportunity to accept Him. I feel the presence of God in this place. I feel that some people right now—the thing that you’ve been fighting—God is about to start doing a beautiful work.
This time next year, mark my words, the fruit because you allowed God to do the cutting is going to feed generations beyond what you didn’t even think was there. If you’ve never accepted Jesus, I feel the presence of God so strong in this place. If you’ve never accepted Him in your whole life, today is your day. Invite the Gardener into your life. I need Transformation Church, who knows what’s about to happen? I need you to start praying 'cause right now eternity is in the balance. And I want to be specific: there are some of y’all who have known God and accepted Him in your heart, but you have not let Him be Lord. Every time He tries to cut on you, you run away from Him. And today is a day that you are going to repent and rededicate your life to Him. You hear me? And you’re in this place, and you’ve been saying, „God, I need a sign.“
Here is your sign. It’s watermelon pink today, and I am coming to tell you that God said, „Let me do what I want to do in your life. Stop going after the career that is not working; I shut that door on purpose so that you would come back to me.“ If that’s you, on the count of three, I want you to just lift your hand. If you’re watching online, Transformation Nation, there is no distance in what’s happening; the Holy Spirit is there right with you, and He’s been drawing you all week to this moment. Today is the day of salvation. If you are in this room or you are watching online, on the count of three, if you want to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior—the one who kept cutting on me, that took me from a liar, a manipulator, somebody who was addicted to pornography, had all kinds of bad things in my mind, my heart, and in my actions.
I was a bad tree trying to produce good fruit, and God said, „Let me replant you. Let me put some new seeds on the inside of you.“ And He changed me from the inside out. Today is your day of salvation. Young person, hear me. I don’t care what Mom and Daddy are doing; God’s hand is on your life. You don’t have to be a hypocrite; you don’t have to live a double life; you don’t have to struggle financially with that. But how do you get that? You find the One who created you. And today, I want to offer you Jesus. One: you’re making the greatest decision of your life. Two: I’m proud of you, but more than that, your eternity is secure, and your name is going to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. All over this building and all over the world, if you want to accept Jesus: three! Lift your hand up all over this room. I see you. I see you right here. I see you. I see you.
Oh, come on, Transformation Church! I see you, man of God. I see you, woman of God. And more than that, God sees you. Can we give God some praise in this room? Why do we rejoice? Why do we celebrate? Because we know what happens when Jesus comes in. He doesn’t make everything perfect; He makes everything partnership. So everything you would walk with and have to carry alone, He says, „Let me take the heavy load of that, because my burden is easy and my yoke is light.“ Can we pray all together? Transformation Church, we’re a big family; nobody prays alone. Lift your hands and say:
God, thank you. Thank you for sending Jesus just for me, just today. Today, I admit, I admit that I am a sinner. I am a sinner, and I repent. I repent and turn to You. Turn to You! I believe you lived; I believe You died; You rose again just for me, just for me. Change me, renew me, transform me! Transform me! Cut me, I’m Yours. In Jesus' name, in Jesus' name, amen.