Michael Todd - Something Is Always Off Limits in the Overflow
We’re so glad that you came, and we’ve been praying that you’d be blessed. The one thing we don’t take for granted is that God meets us here every time. It may come in a song, it may come in the Word, or it may come in a hug in the lobby, but we know God is going to show up. So today, I have a word that I think is going to correct all of us. I know that’s not a good way to start the message, but I want to tell you straight up front to get ready for this whooping. I won’t be the one doing it because I already got whooped.
The Lord has really been working on me with this word, and that’s one thing you have to believe: every time I get up here, I will never preach something to you that God is not working in me. I will not be your fraudulent pastor who tells you to love their wife while treating mine badly. It won’t be incongruent. I won’t tell you to give if I haven’t already given everything. Do you understand what I’m saying? So you can trust that I’m not fake like that. If I get up here, I can tell you either I’ve already done it, or God is working on me, pushing me, inching me, and cutting off my flesh to actually do this. This word has already whooped me, and I need my brothers and sisters to join me in this love lashing.
Do you hear what I’m saying? This is what I want everyone to understand: God wouldn’t do that. The Bible says He chastens, corrects, and disciplines the ones He loves. If you don’t get corrected, He doesn’t love you. I used to have friends whose parents let them do anything, and now what I’ve found out as a parent is that those parents actually didn’t care enough to put in the energy and effort to try to give their kids parameters to live in. What it ended up doing is training them and putting them in positions where they were worse off than if someone had set limits for them.
See, what you don’t understand is I’m already preaching, and that’s good, because my message today is about limits—the one thing you think is a cuss word. The thing you believe should have no limits because, «You know how old I am? I’ve already seen this, I’ve done this, I’ve been here. I’ve already experienced that; I got the T-shirt and a picture.» But my question to you is: what is the last limit that God set for you that you’ve overstepped? Today we are talking about living in the overflow. Somebody say, «I’m living in the overflow.» But in week eight of living in the overflow, I want to tell you the title of my message: something is always off-limits in the overflow.
God always makes something off-limits when He begins to pour out His Spirit, bless you, give you influence, money, and connections. There will always be something He says, «I’m taking you to another level, but I’m giving you a new limit.» Great, great—uh-oh. The problem for many of us is that we have not connected that God’s limit is actually His love. See, at every level of blessing—write this down—there will be a new boundary. God gives you kids; that’s a new level of blessing. Guess what? You have a responsibility now to protect them. You have a new boundary that you need to set in what they watch, what time they go to bed, and how they do certain things. Many of us think that new levels come with new levels of freedom and not new boundaries, and you end up cutting your overflow short because you think that the boundary is something that God is doing to you instead of something He’s doing for you.
Okay, I see I’m going to have to work today. As God increases my influence, something that I’ve never been able to articulate is the thing that has kept me for the past 10 years on a steady incline of influence, resources, and connections. The thing that changed my life is that I realized there is a limit set by God for every next level. So when God upgrades you, are you looking for the new limit? Some of your conversations and friends need to be limited. You’re believing for a level and want to take everybody with you, but He said at this level they don’t even have the decorum to handle the level of intimacy we’re going to have. They have to stay right there. «But my bestie stays at that level!» Many of us would rather lower the limit God has for us to go to because we don’t want to limit access to others who aren’t supposed to be there. Uh-oh.
There are opinions and friendships, and watch this: television series. «Oh, I’m going to see the sixth season of Melissa’s Way.» I’m just making up a show because I don’t want some of the people who may be watching. What I’m telling you is that every time you watch that show, you get—uh-oh—fill in the blank: hot and bothered, frustrated, discontent with your season. You start comparing fictional characters to your real friends. Somebody made that up in their bedroom, and now you’re mad at people. What I’m telling you right now is that maybe God wants you to cut that service off, because now God use me, speak through me, help me lead these young ladies, help me walk into business and be a light for you. But you’re still consuming everything that everybody else is. There is no difference; there is no separation. And God is saying for the overflow, something’s got to be off-limits.
Okay, they don’t believe me, so I’m going to show you that it is time for believers to start to look for the limit, learn the limit, listen for the limit, and love the limits. My best version of myself is when I started to love limits. I’m up here today with my pants on and no belt. The only thing that was overflowing three years ago was my belly over this waistline because I would not embrace the limits. At the moment I said, «This is not for me to lose anything; it’s for me to gain everything: gain health, be able to throw my son when we connect through wrestling and playing gold tickle, have energy to fly from here to there, and have a word in season and out of season.»
If I did not love and embrace and learn the limits, I would stop the overflow. Many of us, because we won’t embrace the limit of a budget, say, «Well, I mean it’s on sale; it’s always going to be on sale.» «Well, I’ve been looking at this for years, and it’ll be there another two years from now in multiple colors.» Yes, it will, but you won’t embrace the limit of this season. So you continue to put yourself in captivity; you continue to look for a different season, and God is saying if you would love the limits I put you in right now, if you would embrace what I’m saying: «This is off-limits; that group of people is off-limits right now,» you would begin to unlock.
Somebody say, «The overflow!» Yeah. Write this down: every person needs to recognize the boundary, respect the boundary, and remember the boundary because you are now responsible for the blessing. Anytime God blesses you, He says, «I’m going to actually give you a boundary with this so that you never forget who gave it to you, one, and you never think this is where I want to end it.» I need to give you parameters so that you can prosper. Parameters for prosperity—and people have hijacked that word like prosperity. Shut up! Prosper means to actually see the fullness of something. We’re not taking any offerings from anybody. God says in His Word that He wishes for our souls to prosper. He wishes for us to find flourishing—like actually multiply—and what God wants to do is give you parameters to prosper in. Most people don’t prosper because they do not embrace the parameters that God sets for them.
So today I just want to teach you this is God’s pattern, and if you’re going to live in the overflow, you’ve got to know there are some things that are off-limits to you. Just say it: «I can’t do everything I want.» I can’t do everything I want. No, no, no, no, no—you didn’t even say it like you meant it. Just say: «I can’t do everything that I want.» I can’t do. I see some of you can’t do it because you actually don’t have the resources to, right? But my question is: will you not do it if you could do it? Some people don’t buy all kinds of stuff because they can’t, right? But if God put you on a budget and you’re balling, and He tells you to give and tithe 20% instead of the 10, everybody would be like, «10? That’s just the beginning!»
Okay, did y’all hear that? Could God bless you so much that 50% of your income went to Kingdom work? I’m not saying that’s what you need; I just want to drop the seed that you could be so living in the overflow that half of everything you make from your business and your investments went to bless other people. You can’t even think like that because you’re so bogged down by culture’s idea of getting your own. Today I’m trying to push you to be able to live in the overflow, but that means at every level of overflow God is going to present something that He says is off-limits.
Proving it to you: Genesis chapter 2:15. The Lord God—do y’all know this is in the first story of the Bible? In the very first thing God wants everybody to know in creation, He says, «The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it, but the Lord God warned him, 'You may eat freely from all the fruit of every tree in this garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are surely going to die.'» Get the picture: Adam and Eve are sitting in the most beautiful, luscious garden created and crafted for them. Nobody else is coming—just them and God. They’ve got fruit; they’ve got more fruit than they can eat. But God blesses them and then presents them with a boundary.
«Great. This is all yours except for that tree.» Not the one behind it, not the one on the side of it, not the one in front of it—"not that one!» And it’s so crazy that many times when God gives us a boundary, that’s all we become focused on. «Don’t look at the camera!» Right? I’m trying so hard not to look at the camera, but when you told me to not look at it, it just made me want to look at it, and it has a little red light on it. Isn’t that what He tells you? «Be single in this season,» but he looks so good. Lord, y’all know what I’m saying? «Save the money.» «I give you all my money!»
Why is it that when God gives a boundary, our flesh wants to go toward it? True? Am I the only one? But the truth of the matter is—watch this—God’s pattern is to bless you and then give you a boundary. I want you to hear me say this: the next time God blesses you, I want you to look for the boundary He gives you. A promotion? Where? What am I supposed to not do anymore? What am I supposed to not watch? Where am I supposed to not go? Fellas, if God gives you a wife, there are boundaries—you can’t hang out with all your single partners anymore.
Am I in your business today? Because the things that you talk about in those forums, if they aren’t men of God and men of valor, are the things that are going to jeopardize your blessing. The Bible says a man who finds a wife finds a good thing and finds favor with God and man. You aren’t that good by yourself; you get better when you have her. But the problem is, you want the same bro time with people that don’t have boundaries. You don’t think that’s going to creep into your heart and situation? When you take that wife, you have to get new boundaries—get a new house, new boundaries! Do y’all hear what I’m saying to you right now? Many of us have been living, watch this, without limits.
What you do when you live without limits is you limit what God can do in your life because He loves you. He knows if you won’t embrace the limit, you are up for destruction. He puts you in a place that you can handle, and it usually is out of His favor and His actual will for your life because you couldn’t handle that platform. If God gave you 10,000 more followers, those little rants you be going on Facebook and Instagram would infect all kinds of people, and God said, «No, we don’t want them to hear that foolishness, so be quiet.» Uh-uh, 12 followers—you’d be doing all that work for all 12 of your followers because God sees. Can y’all hear me? Because some of us, we can’t control it, and you can’t vent on that platform because it’s going to hinder the people you’re supposed to help. He says, «I have to keep them limited because they won’t set a limit won’t go to counseling; they want Facebook to be their counselor.»
Has anybody ever felt like this? Thank you, Lord, for helping me. I feel like slapping her. And then what did God say? You need to take that childhood trauma to a place that can help. But see, you’re at a new level and you won’t set a new limit; you won’t embrace what God is trying to do in your life. I said this two minutes ago, but I said I don’t trust any man that has a privacy screen on his phone because I used to live in secret. I know somebody’s butt just got tight right now because you were reading your Bible on your privacy screen. But what I’m saying to you is when I was in darkness, I had something to hide. Because I’m in the light, I don’t slip up on websites, and if I do, I want to be found out. Because at the end of the day, if I don’t set that limit, my wife has the codes to everything.
Everybody around me has the codes to everything. My kids be having. I want to live openly. But when you come into another level of influence, my question is, have you embraced the limits? Pastor Mike, why are you continuing to say the same thing? Because I believe many of us are cutting off the overflow. Yes, God wants to pour out; He wants to do the unthinkable in your life, but you won’t embrace the new limit. He literally puts Adam and Eve in the garden and says, all of this is yours. You are living in the prototype of overflow, but this one thing is off-limits. Why, Pastor Mike? Write this down: Because a blessing without a boundary becomes a burden. Anytime you have a blessing without a boundary, it will eventually become a burden. That’s right.
Now, you’ve got all the money in the world, but you don’t steward it properly. That’s how people fly here, fly there, drugs, this, parties, that, lust, this night, that, and then end up committing suicide because the blessing had no boundaries and it ends up becoming a burden. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve counseled and walked with people who literally thought their life was going to change if they just came into an abundance of something true. They came into that abundance without the character to handle it and they’re like, «I just got so many meetings I can’t take it. I’m overwhelmed.»
It’s like, did you pray that God would bless your business? I can’t stand employees, but then you prayed. What it tells me is when God blesses you, if you didn’t put boundaries in place, then it becomes a burden. Some of y’all’s families are a burden because you have not put in place boundaries. Mom, I’m not talking to you about what’s going on with my wife because you didn’t like her the day she came in and you’re gathering intel so that you can convince me to leave her. I don’t know who I’m talking to, but some of y’all need to set boundaries. You’re not married to your mother. The Bible says leave and cleave. Y’all make a decision; she doesn’t have to know. It’s tight, but it’s right.
So many times because you haven’t set a boundary, every time holiday time comes, why is there a burden on your marriage? Because you won’t set a boundary. Have a great Christmas break! I can’t stand Christmas break—so much stress, so much pain—because you didn’t set a boundary. That cousin deserves no more money. She said, «DeMarco, you ain’t getting nothing this year.» She felt that. They got to go, huh? Out of here. She felt that. She hasn’t said amen the whole service, but I said that. But you’re emotionally drained, yeah, because you are blessed, but you didn’t set a boundary. Amen.
In about three weeks, I’m going on a sabbatical. I’m out of here—adios, amigos! I don’t hide it. Most pastors hide leaving the church, but if I don’t take this time every year to go heal—I told somebody this the other day—pastoring is the only full-contact sport without an off-season. People can get online and make stories about me; half of the members in here have talked about me. Some of y’all live in this community and y’all are friends with the people who don’t want us to be here, but you won’t say anything. All kinds of things and I’ve still got to pray with you and lead for you and go to God and ask the Holy Spirit. I need to offer… and the reason I’m saying this to you is that I had to, at the beginning, be told by my mentor. He said, «You’ve got to create a boundary».
That’s right, or people will take everything from you, and you will have nothing to give to the people that will be there. If everything leaves, Natalie and those four kids and the new dog, honey, are going to be the only things. They’ll be the only things there if all of this goes away. If I don’t set the boundary, watch this—write this down: It’s not a point, but nobody else can set the boundary except you. So you hear it from God, but then you have to set it. Oh my gosh! Revelation! He tells Adam and Eve what the boundary is. They had the boundary; they didn’t set it. Oh yeah, they knew it, but they didn’t set it. If you know the boundary but don’t set it, you are susceptible to the lies of the enemy.
Many of you know things you need to do right now, but you have not set the boundary. In this house, we pray together. In this house, we don’t talk to each other like that. Some of us need to set… Eden’s full of everything, but money without a budget is a burden. Fire without a furnace is a burden. That’s a burn and then a burden. A body without exercise, it’s a burden. Sex without Covenant—some of y’all walking around with so many people on you, so many soul ties, so many people with a piece of them on you. You weren’t even angry before you got with them, but that transfer, that connection, is becoming a burden. Spirituality without love is a burden. Watch this; be careful when people who don’t own it try to override it when God said it’s off-limits. I’m going to say it one more time.
This is what the enemy did; the serpent. Be careful when people who don’t own it. He didn’t own the garden; he didn’t own the tree; he didn’t own Adam and Eve. He just slithered in there and tried to override what God said. When God already said it’s off-limits, he didn’t really say that. You weren’t even there when God told me I was supposed to be eating like this or when God told me I was supposed to stay focused like this. You weren’t even there. But that’s not what he meant. No, that couldn’t have been how God wanted you to live. It’s 2024—do you speak your truth? Come on, live your truth! No, I live by the truth of the Word of God. I can’t supersede because I watch this: I feel like it. My feelings are real; they’re not always true.
And many of us are doing what we feel, not what God is telling us to do by faith. And that’s why in Genesis 3:1-5 it says, the serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, «Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of these trees in the garden?» This is what it says. I’m just trying to bring it out. «Of course, we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden.» That means Eve knew that she was not in the deficit. Eve was not missing anything; she had everything that she needed. Watch this. The woman replied, «It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat.» That means she knew the boundary; she didn’t set the boundary. «You must not eat it or even touch it.»
Oh shoot, not just eat it; you can’t touch it! There are certain things that we’re saying I’m good because I didn’t devour it. God said you shouldn’t even put your hands nowhere near that. Okay, I can’t stay there. If you do, you will die. And because we don’t like—literally sometimes I just be thinking like, what if that was literal? Like, sometimes that’s what makes it come to life for me. Like, if it’s the young lady that I know has, you know, there are vibes between people, and like, I’m married, but I can tell when somebody has—like, I hate fake people. You know, you can tell when somebody has a little too long of a hug. «You look good. You look real good. You look really, really good.»
And that feels good to your flesh, but what if, like, you went in and you weren’t even supposed to give a side hug or a high five or nothing? The Lord said, «No, no, create that boundary. Don’t touch her.» And she’s real huggy, and just putting all her grace and blessings on—you know, God! I’m going to have to… y’all know what I’m talking about—putting all her goodness and mercy on you. What if God said, «Don’t touch it,» and at the moment you did, you just dropped dead? No, I’m like, I mean think about it. Like, what if it was just like, «Oh, what’s up, sh?» Like, I bet you would be more—I bet you the next dude after Geraldo fell out—you’re like, «What’s up?»
Yeah, hey, you run out of there! What if I told you that maybe you don’t actually physically die, but something does? What if something God had for you died because you keep touching and devouring things that are not like Him? Something that I had planned for them, something that I charted for them, it dies in that same way. Because we don’t see it physically like that, we think that it doesn’t really matter. Oh God! But the serpent will always convince you. Verse four: You won’t die! Right? How do you know? The enemy’s native tongue is lie. He’s the father of lies. That’s all he can do. So if he does say it to you, you should believe the opposite. You won’t die? Yes, I will! God said it! The serpent replied to the woman. Watch this. God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.
See how the enemy deceives you? There’s always a little bit of truth in it. That’s why they call him a deceiver. Yeah, your eyes will be opened, but you will die too. And that’s why in this season when God says, «Mike, I’m taking people into the overflow,» but I want you to remind them that there will be things at the next level that I’m going to say are off-limits that don’t make sense. Yes, sir! You’re not going to know why God’s saying, «Never go to that store again.» Well, God, that’s where I get all my clothes from. Not there anymore. It’s closed. It’s—they know me. Don’t go in that store! Right. Ever. That don’t make sense! Y’all know how we—"That don’t—That doesn’t make sense!»
It doesn’t have to for you to be obedient. And that’s why you know if I can be transparent, like, the way I live my life is not because I’m a pastor because people think that I live my life with discipline and a decision and I don’t do certain things and I don’t drink and I don’t do this. They think it’s because I’m trying to prove that I’m in a good place to be a pastor. I’m the righteousness of Jesus Christ! Like, I have—I have—when Christ accepted me, like He took all of me and I’m going to be working out my salvation all the way through. So that doesn’t—the reason I live the way that I live right now is not because I’m trying to be a pastor; it’s because I want to be more like Him.
Okay, so watch this. So I have certain things that God has convicted me on that have nothing to do with you. Until we start embracing our convictions without judging other people’s convictions, we become more critical and judgmental of what they do compared to what we do when we’re on this journey of faith. What I came to tell everybody is my convictions are curated for my calling, so the things that God says are off-limits for me may be fine for you. But we don’t have the same calling! We don’t have the same—some of the stuff may look similar, but it ain’t the same. And so where you can go out and party and do that stuff and then get up and sing Hallelujah, when I do that, it messes something up on the inside of me to feel incongruent.
So from my calling, I’ve got certain convictions. I don’t want to be seen in certain places with certain people—not because I don’t think you’re a good person; it’s just for my calling, for what God has asked me to do. I don’t work out so that I could just have a six-pack of abs and all that other stuff. No! I work out because I am convicted that God told me. He said, «I can only bless the ministry to the level your body can take it.» So for your calling, you need to get control of that fork. Now if you want to eat a double-dip cake with frosting and icing—I’m not about to judge you; I’m actually probably jealous.
Let me be honest with you: when y’all are birthday caking it up, I be like, «Ah!» But the truth of the matter is, my calling comes with a question: Have you stepped over limits set by the Holy Spirit that pertain to your calling because you were comparing yourself to someone else? One of the greatest tragedies in the Church today is comparing convictions. Can I say it plainly? Stop comparing convictions! Stop it, 'cause your call is different. Okay, let me stop. That’s why I say, «People, I’m not better than you, but I am different than you.» I said it last week, and I’m going to say it again: I’m not better; I’m different. So God will encourage me to do things He may not say to you, but it all is found in His word.
Watch this: when God says it’s off-limits, you have to submit, especially when it doesn’t make sense. Most people don’t know what submission is, but it’s not submission when you agree; it’s only submission when you don’t agree. So good, good! When God says off-limits, and you say, «I don’t think it should be,» then you say, «But yes, Lord! I don’t agree, but I will obey.» Good! I want to move, God! Stay in that apartment—why? Because I have the money to do it? 'Cause you don’t see what’s up ahead. Many of us step over when God sets a limit, and He said, «If you would just obey me and stay in the place I’ve asked you to stay, it’s going to produce something for you.»
So, this is what I’m going to do: I gave you an Old Testament example in the first book of the Bible; now let me give you a New Testament one for all you extra-saved believers. Here we go: Acts chapter 16:4. Paul’s ministry is blowing up; he is literally living in the overflow, and he wants to go and take territory for God. Acts 16:4: «As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and the elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.» So, the churches—here’s the overflow—were strengthened in faith and grew daily in numbers. Blowing up everywhere! The gospel is being expanded; he was just killing Christians, got radically saved on the road to Damascus, and now he’s the biggest thing popping in the streets! Everywhere he goes, everybody is getting saved; it’s a sold-out crusade!
Verse 6: Paul and his companions had a great idea: «Let’s travel throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia.» Having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. Wait! They wanted to go to Asia, and the Holy Spirit stopped them from preaching there! When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to go. Hold on! I’m doing something good for God! Off-limits, God? I’m preaching! I’m in the overflow! Let me step across the line and go into Asia and turn up for you, Lord! I mean, by all men’s accounts, this is a good thing, and God says, «Stop! Don’t go preach there!» Wow, and no explanation? «Well, God, why don’t you want your word to be expanded?» It will be, not through you! Off-limits!
Ro, come here! Y’all, bring that and bring the stand. Have you ever been at an event or something prestigious, and they had like stanchions and usually had security or something? Just put it right here, y’all. No, no, bring it closer; bring it closer. Um, yeah, just put one right there and then one right here. Yeah, and then take that across. Here we go. Then, yeah, yeah, and then there’s a limit, and then in front of the limit, there’s usually a bodyguard. Today, for this example, we’re going to call the bodyguard the Holy Spirit. God, I want to go into this area! Hold on! Holy Spirit! He didn’t have to say anything. The Holy Spirit should be big enough in your life that the nudging—"this ain’t"—but many times we say, «God, but if only that"—but I want to do it for you! I want to make your name great! You got that, but you need me! 'Cause you said, «If you can use anything, Lord, you can use me!»
But there are people! God, I’m seeking you, and I just feel in my spirit that I’m supposed to go to that side of town and start another nonprofit! No! It doesn’t matter that there are six nonprofits I can partner with over there; I need my own logo! So God, no matter how many times I try to inch my way, no matter how many times I tried, Paul tried to go into an area—watch this—for a good reason! It was not his assignment; it was just an opportunity! And so many of us are confusing an opportunity with an assignment, and the Holy Spirit is the only one that can differentiate for you because they look the same. I’m preaching here! So I should be able to go to Asia and preach, and He said, «That does not have your name on it; it’s off-limits.» Even though it seems like everywhere you go, there’s an overflow.
Watch this: Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. He kept them! He kept them! Which means that His limit was not because He needed to lose something; His limit was because He was trying to keep me or protect me from something! See, whenever the Holy Spirit is saying no, it’s 'cause He loves you. Whenever the Holy Spirit is saying, «That opportunity looks amazing,» but you have no idea what you will lose over there—if you go for the money, you might lose your motives. If you go for the platform, you might lose your peace. I need you to know I’m keeping you! If you’re going to live in the overflow, you’ve got to know some things are off-limits!
So what does this teach me? Not all godly ambition is approved by the Holy Spirit! That is so, so true! Everything you think God would be glorified by, He doesn’t want you to do! Oh my goodness! Some of y’all have churches you are pastoring that God didn’t tell you to start! That’s why you struggle at every angle! Holy Spirit, come back! That’s where you struggle at every angle! That’s why it seems like you’re fighting so much, 'cause the Holy Spirit tried to keep you from starting that church. But what the Holy Spirit will sometimes let you do is when you are so adamant about getting into a position in a place that you’re not supposed to be, the only thing that will bring you out of that place is to let you have it! And the worst place to be is where God is not! Oh my God! Did y’all hear me? I said, the worst place to be is where the Holy Spirit is not!
And I thank God that Paul had enough sense to say, «You know what? I am working in some godly ambition. I do want to take over this territory for God! But if the Holy Spirit says this is off-limits for you, what I’m going to do? I’m going to take a nap!» That’s what the Bible says he did. Y’all don’t be reading the Bible? He takes a nap! He said, «During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us! '» After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them instead of going into Asia.
Two things I need you to know: a supernatural idea requires supernatural timing. So it’s not that the word is not going to Asia; it’s just that it wasn’t time, and he wasn’t the carrier. Many of us are offended if God chooses somebody else to do part of the mission! I can’t even stay there, Ro! But a lot of us think, «If I’m not singing a song, it’s not anointed!» That’s not true! God will use somebody else to sing that song! You need to turn around and obey the limits that He has set for you so you can live in the overflow! Paul and his provision were where God told them to be, not where they wanted to be!
Oh God! If the Holy Spirit is a security guard, if He’s trying to lead us and keep us, it’s for our protection! And today, I’m just asking everybody, as you’re believing God to expand your business, go from glory to glory, take you to another level—when He does, 'cause I believe He is—I’m asking you to look for the limits! 'Cause watch this! Last point: God’s limit is His love! Just like a good father: when I get my kids, and we go into our neighborhood, the first thing I tell them is, «Hey! Don’t go in the street!» The street, for some reason, looks so appealing to my children. I don’t know about your kids, but for my kids, it’s like we got this big old driveway; we got all this other stuff, and all they want to do is run to the street! And I have to set limits for them. Yeah! Because I know the dangers of people that are on that main street who aren’t looking out for them. They don’t care about them! They don’t know what they smell like when they put lotion on! They don’t know what they sound like when they cry! I have an intimate relationship with all of those children, and so what I love, I protect!
That is so good! If I didn’t care, like with the dog, I really don’t care; the dog runs out in the street! At this moment, it’s new to the household, it could maybe make it; maybe not! Scott knows I’m telling the truth! My wife and those kids love the dog, but the dog— you know what I’m saying? At the end of the day, they’d be like, «Honey, honey!» I’d be like, «Protect yourself, bro!» But if Gia starts to even inch outside of the garage, I set limits! 'Cause I love her! I’m asking you, as you go to another level, not to miss what God wants to do in the place He’s providing protection! I said it like this: Don’t miss Macedonia trying to get to the masses! He had to redirect him in his dream to go to the place where he would be effective and protected! God doesn’t just want you to be effective; He wants you to be effective and protected! He wants you to be covered and cared for! He wants you to walk in your fullness and not lose anything! So He directed Paul! I know Asia Minor would be the biggest blow-up of history for the gospel, but go back to Macedonia! Instead of trying to go get the masses, I got that! I need you to take care of them!
I had a friend who’s prominent, and if I called their name, you would know exactly who they are—huge, famous, all over the world! And they were interviewed, and they got asked the question, «Did fame change you? Did the money change you? Did the platform change you? Did the spotlight change you?» And the interviewer was stunned by his response! He said, «No, and it should have!» And I said, «What?» He said, «No, I was trying to act the same way I acted back there at this new level! And that’s why I lost everything, because I was supposed to change the boundaries when I came to this new level of blessing! But because I tried to keep my old boundaries at this new level of blessing, it became a burden to my wife, to my kids, to everybody I led!» And so when people say, «This is Transformation Church; everything did it change you?» Yes, it made me put new boundaries in place! It made me put new accountability in place! It made me say, «God, if you’re going to take me up, show me what else I need to cut off. Father, before you have to cut on me, let me cut it off! I don’t want to be humbled by you; I’ll humble myself before the mighty hand of God!»
So view the boundaries as a blessing! If God says don’t watch that anymore, say, «Uh oh! God’s trying to take me to a whole other level!» When God says stop binging on that, «Uh oh! God’s requiring something else!» And even when I want to go into the places that seem good, when the Holy Spirit lovingly and kindly walks me back—He could body slam me! Come on! The Holy Spirit could be forceful with it, but He lovingly redirects me into the space and the place where my provision and protection is! I believe there are some areas that God is redirecting you through this message and through His presence, saying, «I’ve blessed you, but don’t cut off the overflow, 'cause you won’t embrace brand new boundaries!»
I wrote this down as my last thought, and I really want to give it to you because it really blessed me, and I hope it blesses you. Set limits by faith today for the life you want to live tomorrow! What if the limits you set are actually a sign of faith to God that I’m ready for this next thing? «Oh no, no, no, no, no! Yeah, I’m budgeting off of this! I’m tithing 15%, not 10%! God, I’m doing—I am living my life in such a way that it tells you I’m ready! Great! Great! I’m setting the limits today!» Not going to wait for the moment; I’ve got to set them. Yeah, let me set these relationships in order now. Great, let me set this discipline in order now. Let me set the limits by faith today for the life I want to live tomorrow, because the boundaries are actually a blessing. Would you stand all over this place? I feel the presence of God in here.
Proverbs 25:28 says, «A man without self-control, a man without boundaries, a man without limits, is like a city broken into, left without walls.» Without the boundaries, you’re going to lose what God placed in you. Good! Today, would you lift your hands all over this place? We’re about to leave, y’all, but in this place, I believe God is trying to remind you; the Holy Spirit is trying to lovingly remind you that He wants you to live in the overflow. But listen to me when I say something is off-limits. I don’t know what He’s speaking to you right now, but I want you to ask Him: «Holy Spirit, what are you trying to say to me through this message?»
Come on, right there, just you and God. «Holy Spirit, what are you trying to say to me through this message? What do I need to change? What do I need to reevaluate? What do I need to recalibrate in my life? Where are you trying to correct, change, convict? Where are you trying to communicate?» No, no, no, no. I know I’m grown, and I could be at her house until 4:00 in the morning, but God, I’m going to set this boundary, and I’m leaving at 11:00. It’s good, not because I can’t, but I don’t even want to be caught in that temptation. Come on, y’all! I’m talking about where are the places—no, no, no! You can’t have my personal cell phone number; I’ll talk to you through email. Come on, y’all! Where are the places that God’s saying this is off-limits? That’s good.
Today, Father, here we all are asking You to do what You did for Adam and Eve. Would You make the limit clear? Would You show us, in the beautiful expanse of overflow, what You want to be off-limits to us? And Father, we won’t compare ourselves to anybody else, and we won’t complain, Father God, that they get to and they get to, because we know our convictions are based on our calling. Yes! Today, God, would You allow us to embrace everything that You say is off-limits for us because Your will is to protect us and provide for us? Forgive me for thinking I knew better than You. I know You said not to be in that relationship, and I still did it. I know You said not to spend the money on that, and I still did it. I know You said don’t have that conversation yet, and I still did it. Father, forgive me when I have tried to supersede what You said was off-limits to make it work the way I thought it should work. Today, God, I’m coming back to You, submitted and humble. Yes! I’m asking, would You do a work on the inside of me to not have to understand, but to obey, because I’ve got history with You, and Father, You’ve been faithful, and You’ve been good even when I haven’t been. So today, God, as a church, as a community, today we are humbly repenting. We are turning from listening to the serpents in our lives that try to tell us that You don’t know best for us, and Father, we are asking today that You would help us love limits. Father, that even sounds countercultural, but Father God, it is when we embrace those things that we actually get to live in true freedom. Thank You that Your word would be a limit for us, that we would know how to handle situations. We’ll find the answers in Your word. Thank You that our marriage will be founded on limits that are in the word. Thank You for Your love, limiting things that seem good but actually would be a burden. Today, God, thank You for this correction and warning as we move into the overflow. I thank You that we’ll embrace everything You have for us. Today, we leave this place encouraged that You love us that much. You love us enough to set limits, and for that, we say thank You.
Come on, say thank You, God! If you’re in this room and you’ve never accepted Jesus, today I want to give you an opportunity to come out of the burden of living a life without a Savior. See, none of us are good enough. The Bible says our good works are like filthy rags compared to what God has for us. So today, if you want to accept Jesus, this is the only thing that can change your entire life and literally bring you into a blessing that is going to change your boundaries, but it’s going to take away so much of the burden. It took me from being a liar, a manipulator, addicted to pornography, having so many dark things in my heart, and God said, «Trade me, Michael,» and He’s given me joy, peace, understanding, community, and a church home. I can live this life and actually be successful. There are people that are under the sound of my voice in this room and watching online that need to make Jesus their personal Lord and Savior today, and the reason I’m speaking with passion is because it’s the greatest one thing I’ve ever done.
Today I want to give you that opportunity. If you’re in this room, I don’t care what you’ve done; I don’t care how bad you think you’ve messed up. You have done nothing that will keep you out of the scope of God’s love. Today, Jesus just wants a relationship with you. «But He doesn’t know what I’ve done.» Yes, He does! «He doesn’t know who I’m with.» Yes, He does! «He doesn’t know what I have hidden in my heart.» Yes, He does! And He’s just waiting for you to bring it to Him. He’s the only one that if you bring Him your heart, He’ll help you change your habits.
Today, on the count of three, if you want to accept Jesus all over this world, all over this room, and all over the world, I want you to just slip your hand in the air. We’re not going to make you confess all your sins. We do pray that you would get in a tribe or get in community, where you can confess, because James says the healing comes in the confession. Jesus will take it all away, but there’s some stuff you need to get off your chest, and that’s where we want to come in as a church. But today, your eternal salvation can be secure by the finished work of Jesus Christ. One, you’re making the greatest decision of your life. Two, I’m proud of you, but more than that, your name is about to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If you want to accept Jesus, three, shoot your hand up in the air right now! I see you! Hold on, there you go! I see a person right there, one right there, and there are some online.
Come on! If one person—I see you back there! Glory to God! I see you, my brother! I see you, my sister! Hey, the thing that you’ve got to understand is in a place like this, we want thousands of hands to go up. Heaven rejoices over one! The full turnaround is over one person that would give their life to Christ, and at Transformation Church, several hands. This is the reason we come here, so nobody prays alone. Would you lift your hands and just say:
God, thank You for sending Jesus just for me. Today I cast my burdens onto You. I believe You lived, You died, and You rose again just for me. I give You my life. Change me, renew me, transform me. I’m Yours. In Jesus' name, amen.