Michael Todd - There Is Always a Doorway to Distraction
So today, I’m going to do my assignment by pointing people to Him, but I’m going to do it a little differently because I need to talk about you just for a second. We might be the hindrance in our own way. Has anybody ever tripped over your own feet before? Okay, I’m about to find out where everybody’s at. Has anybody ever slammed your own hand in a cabinet or a door? Has anybody ever dropped the food that you prepared? There is nothing more devastating than telling other people they can’t eat your food. You prepared it—got all your sauces ready—and then, right when you try to do too much and pick up all the plates and the drinks at the same time, bam! Your automatic reaction is to get up and fight somebody and blame someone else, but you realize the only person responsible for the distraction, the disaster of your plate, the actual devastating moment, was you.
Now, usually, when it comes to our lives, we try to blame everyone else for the moments that cause us pain, keep us from our purpose, and prevent us from reaching our greatest potential. But in week two of this series that we are calling «Death to Distraction,» I’ve got to help you have the faith to focus. Somebody say, «I will.» I will have the faith, the faith to focus. F-O-C-U-S. Say it one more time with faith: «I will.» I will have the faith to focus. How many people could use some more focus in your life? You know it would positively impact your life.
Okay, how many of you know where the distraction is? I love a self-aware congregation, 'cause everybody that raised their hand, we can go somewhere, while the rest of y’all are going to make me work for 50 minutes to convince you that you are distracted in an area that everyone else around you can see, but you have not taken ownership that it’s affecting you the way that it is. That’s why today, to get you to Him, I’ve got to start talking to you so that you can get out of your own way. Look at your neighbor and say, «Get out of your own way.» Get out of your own way! Come on now, choose your other neighbor that you didn’t like as much the first time. I don’t know why you didn’t turn to them before, but now you’ve got to look at them and say, «Neighbor, get out of your own way.» How are you going to get out? Everyone’s like, «Yeah, why didn’t you look at me?» I got you.
The way that we can actually look at this is by going to the solution before we address the problem. For anyone that is distracted, there is a solution. Good news for you today: there is a solution, and this is going to be our scripture of the year. I’m going to try my best to say this every single Sunday until it gets in your spirit and your heart. I want you to turn to Hebrews 12:1, and we’re going to read this together. Y’all did so well last week that we’re going to do it again. I want us to read this scripture until it becomes something that is hidden in our hearts. There will be times in your life that you will not have cell phone connection. There will be times in your life—I just want to be very clear with you, I thank God for convenience, but many times it hinders us from having what we need when everything is not convenient. I want you, the Bible says, to hide the word of God in your heart. And I’m going to say this until we can hide it in our hearts. We’re going to read this together.
Can we get it on screen? Can we get it behind us so everybody can say it out loud? Hebrews 12:1: «Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us.» Has anybody ever been entangled by sin? I just wanted to make sure I’m in the right place. Has anybody, watch this, ever been entangled by weights? Okay, we’re in the right place. We’re going to start at, «And let us"—here we go—"and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.» Does everybody know there’s a race with your name on it? While you’re trying to be them and do that and compare yourself to them, there is a race with your name on it so that when you run that race at your pace, nobody can beat you. Many times, the frustration in our lives comes from running a race that was never marked out for us. This is why this series is very important to the fabric of faith and life because I want you to get, watch this, out of their lane. Get out of their lane! Get out of that lane that you made up! Get out! Move! Get out the way!
I’m five minutes in, and I’m too hyped right now! Verse two: here’s the answer. I just said we’re starting. «Fixing"—fixing our eyes—somebody shout at me «focus!» Focus! Fixing our eyes—focus. On whom? On Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Let’s give God praise right now for the reading of His word. Every week, I’m going to tell you the same thing: fixing your eyes, or focusing on Jesus, is the thing that’s going to change your life. I know everybody’s telling you to focus on other things, but I’m telling you I’ve tried focusing on a lot of things. I tried to focus on success. I tried to focus on image. I tried to focus on getting around the right people. I tried to focus on making sure that I had everything in order.
And it doesn’t matter what you do as a human being; when you do not have Jesus as your fixed focus, something is coming that will lead you to a place of distraction, ultimately ending in destruction. There are too many examples in our own lives, but if you don’t want to use your own life as a case study, I need you to look at so many other people’s lives. That’s why over the next few weeks we’re going to talk about a man named Samson.
Now, Samson, by all accounts, was a Bible character that you might have heard of when you were a child. What was Samson’s claim to fame? Well, he had superhuman strength. One could say he was able to do things that others were not gifted to do. You could say that Samson had the ability to endure things and handle things that nobody else could handle. It sounds like many of us. Though we do not have the title of Samson, some of y’all are strong. Some of you have been so strong, and you’ve been gifted to go through seasons that seemed unfair. You have been strong enough to walk through adversity after adversity, heartbreak after heartbreak, and still smile. Some of you see, you’re thinking about physical strength, but he was gifted by God to be strong. Some of y’all have been discounting what God is doing in your life because you say, «I don’t want to be strong anymore.» But God said, «That’s how I anointed you! I have given you the ability to do something that would take most people out.»
Your strength may have made you think that you do not have to submit to the words of God because Samson had a strength in the way some of us have a strength, a gift that then becomes the thing that we put our faith in instead of Him. So, our strength turns into, «I can handle this. I can go through. I don’t need anybody else.» The Word of God may have worked for them in that situation, but this is how I survived. And your strength makes you feel like you don’t need to submit to the Word of God. Some of us make so much money we don’t pray to God anymore because money is the thing you’re submitted to.
If God tells you to do something, you won’t. But you will literally put your family—not even on the back burner, but out of the house—if there’s a business deal you can’t miss. What are you submitted to? Some of you college students and career-driven individuals, the pursuit of knowledge is good, but you’re submitted to it, deciding to work your way up this corporate ladder, saying, «I ain’t never going to be like them.» If God asks you to do something, it’s a fight. But if the college says you need to write a paper that’s 900 pages long, you’ll do it. I’m not saying it’s bad; I’m just asking what you are submitting to. What is your strength submitted to? Because Samson’s strength—I’m screaming, y’all! I’m sorry; I’m just hyped. I know where we’re going; I’m so sorry! Forgive me. Samson was strong without being submitted, and so his strength became the very thing that would lead him to destruction.
Okay, all right. Judges chapter 16:4. This is the part where we usually start in Samson’s journey. Sometime later—what time was it? It was a later time, sometime. When it says «later,» that means something happened before this. Anytime you see «sometime later,» you should always go back and read what happened before. I know you’re trying to get through your Bible reading quickly, but whenever you hear «sometime later,» it means there’s a story attached to that. Sometime later, Samson fell in love with a woman named—what’s her name? Oh yes, Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek. I was going to start the series here. Week two, I wanted to start from here on because I have a message next week that will take you out. But then the Holy Spirit said, «Michael, most believers don’t pay enough attention to the principles we can extract from Samson’s life before Delilah, before destruction, before the disaster.»
What happened in your life before the divorce? Come on, because so many times we’re just trying to heal from what happened, but it’s inevitable for it to happen again because we did not pick up the clues from what happened. Somebody say «before.» And if the church does not stop and wait on God to reveal, «Why do I keep getting in this situation?» Wow. Most of us, our prayer is, «Father God, just take me to the next level. Father God, I thank you that we go from glory to glory and faith to faith. Father God, I thank you that this season won’t look like last season.»
Yes, it will! Because you never learned about last time. If I could tell the church anything, it is to make it through, heal, do everything that God told you to do, but don’t leave this lesson without learning what you need to learn from last time. Because last time becomes this time when you don’t spend time—oh my God, let me say it again. Last time becomes this time when you don’t spend time. Why did I let them? Why did I let them call me that? When did I put my guard down? When did I say that was okay? When was the first time that felt comfortable, and I used to be convicted about it? Pastor Mike, why is this important? Because write this point down: destruction always starts with a distraction.
Destruction always starts with a distraction. Delilah will be the last stage of Samson’s destruction, but not the first. Good. Whatever you will ultimately be known for didn’t happen in isolation. Like we know Samson for being taken out by Delilah, we know people that do great things for doing great things. It never starts where you find it. Hear what I’m saying? Jealousy never starts at beating someone else’s wife up. Insurance fraud never starts with Bank of America. It never starts with the big thing; it always starts with one distraction. «What are you doing over there? What are you looking at? What are you eating?» Everything that has ever happened in my life that went against the Word of God never was presented to me on a platter. It was always something that I was distracted by—subtle, covert, quiet, secret, easy.
Watch this. The reason I’m taking this moment to let you sit in this is that there are things you don’t think are a big deal right now that are literally leading you down a path that you will be asking for deliverance from, and I wish you could see the monster that’s at the end of this. But right now, it’s just little. Yeah, it’s just— I mean, I was scrolling, and yeah, somebody was twerking in booty shorts. And they work out, though, and I can scroll past that. You didn’t delete it, you didn’t block it, you didn’t do anything. Y’all see how quiet—oh, and it’s not just that man in the muscle shirt wearing the too-tight pants and all that other stuff, and you over there looking like, «My God, what is God doing in his life.» My God! Yet, two days later, it pops up again.
Four days later, it’s a whole group of people like that, and it just takes one moment when you’re weak. True. I’m going to leave it alone. Let me show you this picture real quick. Everybody, look at this picture of this tragic accident that I found. This, this, this is the pileup. You can look on the center screen. This is a 133-car pileup. This is one of the most devastating things that could ever happen. This is what we would call an unfortunate accident that caused a lot of destruction—destruction to property, destruction to people’s lives. You can bring the feedback to me. Destruction everywhere. What if I told you this happened because somebody was checking their phone? What if I told you it was 15 seconds of distraction in a place that needed focus that caused people to literally have to be raised for the rest of their lives without a parent? We looked up some stats just to see, because I didn’t want to just take this picture.
In 2022 alone, over 300,000 people were injured due to cell phone distraction in a car, and over 3,300 people died. Jesus! Because somebody was distracted. Jesus! Checking if they got two more followers. Now we feel it when we see pieces of metal piled up, but we don’t feel it as much when in our own lives there are all kinds of generational habits, patterns, ideas that have crashed in our lives and become the scene of destruction. So today, I just want to bring a parallel to that picture because there was no threat to those people except their own decision to be distracted. Hear what I’m saying? They weren’t defensive driving to get away from something they saw in a Tom Cruise movie.
This was not an action scene; this was a decision to be distracted. And I have to come to the church at large today and ask you: Are some of the disasters we have faced and that we’re going toward only because we’ve decided to be distracted? Let me put a disclaimer up here for distraction. Very simply, distraction will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. That’s what distraction will do. When you are distracted, you’re like, «How did I get here? And I don’t even want to be here anymore, but why am I staying here? I didn’t know that was going to cost me that much, and I wouldn’t have paid it, but I’m still paying it.»
And the reason I have to tell you that is because there is a secret twin of distraction that I want to expose today. If I don’t get to do anything else, if you haven’t heard anything else that I’ve said, this is the one. If you are distracted, the worst partner to distraction is this word we have to deal with today: denial. The crazy thing about distraction is when somebody comes to tell you, «You might be distracted by that,» most people are in denial, and denial is the thing that is plaguing the body of Christ because we cannot take constructive criticism from anybody. We cannot take correction in love. We cannot be open to a different suggestion. We can’t say, «Hey, I used to be in that; now I’m in this.» We can’t do anything, and people are going to be like, «That ain’t me. My issue ain’t your issue. I’m not dealing with that; I can handle these things.»
And the problem is you cannot deal with anything you do not see. Is that okay? Write this point down: denial is dangerous because it makes it impossible to change. Y’all all have family members right now that you know you want your relationship to be better than it is, but a lot of the problem is that when you bring up stuff, they’re going to tell you that it didn’t happen like that. They’re going to try to make it sound like, «That’s not how you were raised. I didn’t do that to you.» I’m telling you this is how I experienced this moment. I’m telling you this is how it affected me. Am I in the right place right now? Okay. I’m telling you this is why I’m mad; I’m telling you this is why I was pushed to drugs. And you’re going to tell me it didn’t happen like that.
Ask your brothers and sisters—ask your cousins—they were there! There’s no way they could have done that to you. And many times because of denial, our healing gets delayed. Can we take it out of anybody else’s hands? You’re in denial when God is trying to reveal something to you, and you say, «God, it wasn’t that bad. I didn’t really do that; I wasn’t flirting with them.» When the Holy Spirit says, «You did too much.» Too much! «I gave him a side hug.» He said, «But I know what you were thinking too.» Too much! And in an area that God wants to potentially bring clarity, healing, and help, we’re still in denial. The enemy would love for the body of Christ to stay in denial because it keeps you distracted. And if you never get out of denial, you’ll always stay in distraction, and you will never have deliverance. Some of y’all are mean. Say that!
And multiple people have tried to tell you because you could fix it. You could become what you currently are not, but because you are in denial, I’ve met so many gifted singers who have said, «Man, if you would just do a little less; stop! Don’t do all the runs. Just—piano players, musicians, hold on! Let us catch the beat! Where’s the beat?» But as soon as you say it, they’re like, «Oh no, they don’t value my gift!» Hold on, wait! You just took defense because somebody had a different perspective on a situation from which they are outside. But you won’t even let it get close because you’re in denial. Samson, through his entire journey, is in denial. He thinks he can play with what God put parameters around. Gosh, I’m telling y’all right now, this thing is ministering to me so much because God is saying, «Michael, when I speak to you, don’t act like I’m not God!
If I say to you, 'You’re getting prideful, ' don’t start justifying it! But God—no, no, no, okay, Lord, what does that look like for me? What do I need to do? How do I need to submit this? Where is it at?» I’ve talked to more—let me talk to my senior saints for a second. Some of y’all will not go to counseling or therapy. I’m dead looking at you. Why? You have to bring up old stuff because it’s still festering in you. You are an old woman now, but you are a young woman bandaged in hurt. The healing never happened, and now it’s pouring out onto your family members and your grandchildren and all that other stuff because, «What’s this young little person going to tell me? They ain’t even experienced life. They ain’t even been nowhere. I’ve been here since 1966, and God has seen me! He’s seen me in every season.»
And you do all that, and nobody will even open up to you. Your own kids have to create worlds to stay away from your disease. And if you don’t let it out, I’m just telling y’all, I’m talking about what I know. I’m talking about what I’m dealing with. I’m talking to you and talking to your kids, and they’re saying, «We could never bring that up to them.» And they’re saying, «I don’t know what’s wrong with them; they’re just disrespectful now. They don’t call; they don’t do anything.» Oh God! Somebody might be in! And the enemy would love for you to stay in denial. He would love for you to die in denial. And that’s why I had to come today to tell you that you may be distracted by the wrong thing.
And today, if we could—this is only week two, y’all, I’ve got like eight of these! Okay, I just need us to walk through this gently together to maybe see if there’s an area of our lives that God wants to bring deliverance, but we’re still in denial. And this is the reason I need to say this about denial and I’m taking on it because I want you to come out of it. I want you to actually be people who can hear from God, hear from others. This is why you’ve got to get in a community group. This is why you’ve got to get in tribes. Because sometimes the people you love can’t say stuff people you don’t know can say to you! Oh my God! I can’t tell you how many times I’m like, «I ain’t bringing this up with Natalie.»
And then we get around some other couples, and they’d be like, «Are y’all struggling with this? 'Cause we struggling with this!» And it’s like, as a matter of fact, we are! And the only reason it worked is 'cause I didn’t bring it up! But if I would have brought it up, it would have been World War II! But community created safety for us to come out of denial. Pastor Mike, why you going so hard on denial? Because denial makes you dumb! When you stay in denial—watch this—I heard Pastor Darius Daniels say it like this: «It turns seasons into cycles.»
Seasons into cycles! When you’re in denial, the thing that God meant to be for a specific amount of time becomes the replay of your life. Seasons change with time. Cycles change with you. Do you hear what I’m saying? Season: a period of time; it changes to another season. Period of time has changed to another season; some things in your life were supposed to be a season, and because you’re in denial and didn’t allow God to do what He wants in your life, it became your cycle. So I just need to put this equation out here so we can know how to guard ourselves against it. Write this down: distraction plus denial always equals destruction. If I’m distracted and in denial that it affects me the way it does, it will at some point lead to destruction.
Let me give you an example. Somebody say, «distraction.» I’m attracted to someone at my job, but I know I’m not supposed to be with them. But, you know, they’re fine, I’m fine; we flirt. It’s nothing. Everybody say, «denial.» It’s not a big deal! I’m a grown man or woman, and it’s just flirting at work. It’s just asking if you want to have donuts together. No, no, no, it’s just taking our 15-minute break together and walking outside. Yes, I’m married, yes, they’re married; it’s not a big deal. Everybody say, «destruction.» It ends in soul ties and divorce; it’s that simple.
Everybody say, «distraction.» I don’t have time to budget; I’m busy, money’s coming in, it’s okay, I’m busy. Everybody say, «denial.» I’ll get around to it. Do you know how many people survive without budgets? You just have to make more money than you let go out. Everybody say, «destruction.» You end up living in a cycle of poverty no matter how much money you make. I know broke millionaires; I know people who have millions of dollars but live like they have hundreds, 'cause the principles are the same at every level.
Everybody say, «distraction.» I only sip when I’m stressed. It got real quiet. I only drink when I’m stressed. Golly, somebody’s in denial! Everybody say, «denial.» I’m not an alcoholic; they’re the alcoholic. I know an alcoholic when I see one; my dad was an alcoholic, my mom was an alcoholic, my aunt was an alcoholic. I only drink when I’m stressed. Everybody say, «destruction.» A life of addiction! When you’re in denial about something, it can lead to a life that has you completely bound.
Everybody say, «distraction.» My wife and I don’t prioritize spending time together—no date nights. It’s really about the kids; we have all these kids, you know what I’m saying? So we just do the kid thing. Everybody say, «denial.» We have a lot going on, and it’ll get better in a different season. I mean, we have a lot going on right now. They’re just young, or they’re just in sports, or they’re just in college, or they’re just still living with us. Let’s be honest, there’s always going to be a season. Everybody say, «destruction.» No intimacy and loss of connection in a marriage that God designed.
Just one last one. Everybody say, «distraction.» You’re doomscrolling; y’all know what I’m talking about—just on Facebook, just Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok. Come on, what else? MySpace, Black Planet, Pinterest. I like it; thank you, 'cause some of y’all’s comparison and insecurity get so flared up just on Pinterest. Why can’t my house look like this? 'Cause that’s a picture. Everybody say, «denial.» It’s not that deep! Everybody does it.
I’m trying to give you a formula. Pastor Mike, why are you going with it? 'Cause I need you to know everybody in here has something they’re in denial about. When I was overweight, I was like, «This doesn’t look that big,» buying 3X’s and 4X’s because that made me look how I thought I looked. But I knew how I looked with none of the look on. Years of my health journey were delayed 'cause I was in denial. My wife ended up telling me one time, 'cause I don’t know if she was blinded by my charm or blind, and I appreciate that, thank you, Lord. But at some moment, we were doing something, and she was like, «That was a lot.» I remember her saying, «That was a lot.» Like, I’m a lot?
You say I’m a lot? 'Cause it was only me and you here. So that was a lot means you think I’m and then you start asking, «You think I’m a lot?» I’m just trying to be humble and open, and years of my life were delayed 'cause I was in denial. This is what the enemy would love to do. He would love to keep you distracted and in denial because just give it a little time, and you’re going to find a doorway that leads to destruction.
The doorway to destruction—what’s behind the door? Is anybody back there? Hello? Why would a door just be here? Okay, I’ll keep preaching, but that door has now become a distraction 'cause I focused on it one time. It’s been up here the whole time, but I’ve been focused on the camera, and I’ve been focused on the faces, and I’ve been focused on what I was assigned to do.
But the moment that I took my eyes off of the focus, I now have a distraction. All right, door, stay right there. This is what happens in Samson’s life. Samson was born to be a deliverer to the children of Israel, who had been allowed to be captive. Now, this is a whole other thing that messes with your theology. When you don’t obey God, in the Old Testament, He would allow your enemy to capture you; it was the only way to bring you back to a place of desperation to call on Him. Thank God for the New Covenant because He won’t do that to us anymore; He sends us to Jesus to be the propitiation for all of our sins so we can go back to Him and actually get right.
But back in the day, He said they don’t get it. I’ve given them the law; I’ve told them what to do. Go get them! And He allows His chosen people to be taken captive by a group of people called the Philistines. Because of this, the Philistines were ruling, reigning, and putting slavery conditions on the people of Israel. They began to cry out for God out of desperation because their situation was so bad. You have to read back for the whole context; that’s why this is in the Book of Judges. This is a season where there were no kings; they did not make God their King, and there were no kings on Earth. They began to cry out for a deliverer. When they cried out for a deliverer, God said, «I’m gonna answer your prayer, but I’m not going to talk to you about it.»
He made a woman who was barren pregnant, which is a point right there. Sometimes, you’re crying out for something that you’re going to have to wait a little bit longer for, 'cause God answered you, but it takes a moment for it to actually be birthed. It’s not my point, but what I’m trying to tell you right now is Samson is born to a woman that declares that if she can have a child 'cause she was barren, she will dedicate this child to God.
Samson is born under a Nazarite vow, which simply says that he is to eat no pork, not touch anything dead, not have any strong drink, and never cut his hair. He says as long as he does this, he will have super-empowered strength from God on high. The boy is born and taught this daily every time, but then he starts doing crazy stuff, like being able to just beat up people and change things and move things.
I’m going to show you an example, but I need you to understand he knew there was a standard, the same way you know there’s a standard. If you’re in denial that you know it’s wrong to have sex outside of marriage, you know. You know that from a medical standpoint. Let’s not even go to Scripture, yet you know it from an emotional standpoint. You’ve seen enough stories; you watch enough reality TV. You’ve seen what happens when families are born in broken situations. You know gossip doesn’t do anything but tear people down, yet we still find ourselves, like Samson, many times flirting with the doorway that would lead us to destruction.
My last big chunk of Scripture, Judges 14:5. It says Samson went down to Timnah, together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward them. Now, this is just scary. I need you, 'cause sometimes we read these stories like it’s not real people. I want you to imagine you, your mom, and dad taking a walk and suddenly, a lion comes charging at you. Now, what would be your response? Everybody in this room would run.
Look what Samson does; the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands. This is crazy to me, as he might have torn a young goat apart. Now, who tears goats apart with their bare hands? Y’all see what I’m saying? His strength is so crazy, it’s like, «Yeah, he did it with the lion,» but like a goat is like, «No.» But they’re trying to give you the contrast of how strong—how gifted he was.
'Cause some of us are just super… Have you ever met somebody that’s just super gifted at something for no reason? It kind of makes you sick; like, it’s kind of unfair. So what this is Samson, and this is some of us. It said, then he went down to talk with the woman; he liked her.
Verse eight, sometime later—what was it? Sometime—dang, that keeps coming up. When he went back to marry this girl, he turned aside. He lost focus, he got distracted, and he took a look at the lion’s carcass. Somehow, the lion’s carcass had a swarm of bees and some honey in it. He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate it as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some too, and they ate it, but he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from an unclean animal.
Remember the Nazarite vow: don’t touch anything dead! But because something dead had something sweet next to it, oh my God, there are too many believers that are touching dead things because there’s something sweet next to it. There are too many believers that are staying in dead places 'cause they get a sweet feeling when they get there. There are too many people that are living their life in a dead place 'cause they had one sweet season, and there was a boundary. All he did was go to the doorway that would lead to his destruction.
But I don’t want you to get it twisted; it wasn’t that he killed the lion. He had killed the lion already. He touched it when it was a lion. No, no, no, no, no. The first time he touched the lion was when it was alive. He killed it, left it, walked away. But when he was traveling back, he got distracted and went to the—he should have never saw the honey. But because he turned and looked at the victory of yesterday and saw that something good was over there, he went to it, and he touched the dead thing; this was the first time we know of that he walked through a door of distraction that led him to another door.
What I’m trying to tell you is that the first door of distraction—it’s important that you don’t open this one. It’s important that you don’t try to find out what’s behind it because every door of distraction you go into—watch this—you become desensitized. It becomes easier. That one had a little, but you’ll lean into a door. You used your strength to get into some doors.
Samson walks into this door of distraction, and it’s the first time—now, I need y’all to remember, this is before Delilah. Delilah is going to be the culmination of his destruction, but his destruction started with a distraction that was a door to another distraction. Okay, I need to bring up one thing, just real quick, as I’m trying to really close 'cause this thing is bothering me. Some people don’t think you can still be used powerfully by God and still make dumb decisions. You can.
You can do all of that and still be distracted. It says the power, the Spirit of God, came mightily upon Samson to work in his gift. And right after he worked in his gift, he snuck into a distraction and was like, «This looks good.» Honey doesn’t even fill you up.
I just need it. It’s so beautiful that they used honey because honey is not even something that makes your appetite feel like it’s being serviced. Honey is literally just for desire. This was not going to give him sustenance to go then do something else, and he had the audacity to give and incriminate his parents by taking the result of his distraction to others. How many times has God told us we’re not supposed to do something, and then we actually go through the doorway of distraction, and then we’re like, «Hey y’all, I found something cool. I found some honey around this dead thing!» Pastor Mike, why are you saying this? It’s just some honey!
But there’s something you missed in the Scripture. I need you to see that out of all of this, the Scripture tells us that he did not tell them. He had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass. This means that when he went into this doorway of distraction, he already knew it was something he was not supposed to do. He took the honey from it, and somehow he thought it was a good idea to give it to his parents, the ones who had given him to God. Okay, why is this important? Because full disclosure is the opposite of denial. I think Samson would have closed some of these doors if he had said, «My bad, I just did something stupid.»
Do you all remember the lion I told you about? I killed it and came back with honey. This honey is actually from the lion I touched. Maybe there could have been a consecration; maybe there could have been repentance; maybe there could have been something. But because he did not give full disclosure, I’m tired of believers telling us only the part of the testimony they think we want to hear. «I escaped this relationship, da da da,» but you didn’t tell us the other side. You didn’t tell us your part in it; you didn’t give us any of that. So now we’re believing for something without full disclosure. In full disclosure, some of you want something for which you sowed seeds in the wrong way.
When people come to us for marriage counseling and say, «Our relationship is just not working,» you didn’t tell us you cheated on them. So now we’re praying that God would reconcile something, but there’s real damage there. Yeah, Pastor Mike, why are you saying this? Because most people are in denial that they have to tell the full truth, and I’m telling you right now, I tried to walk that journey. I tried to be faithful to my wife and tell her half the truth. I tried, and some of you are like, «Let the dead bodies lay. I don’t even know the analogy, but just leave them alone.» But a lie always keeps disconnection. Come on, Pastor Mike, are you really asking me? Either we’re going to live this Christian life in truth and integrity and actually do what God’s saying, or you’re going to have no power.
This is why we keep going through these doors. Okay, here we go, Pastor Mike. What are you trying to say to us today? The problem is that like Samson, you keep playing with what almost killed you. He goes back over to the lion that could have killed him. Let’s be clear: a fosa, Simba, Scar—they could have taken his life, but only because the Spirit of God came on him was he able to do this. Somehow, he confused the gifting with the God who gave the gift. Somehow, he thought, «Yeah, I can beat lions up. I can get through this. I can go through these relationships and not be affected. I can make this happen.» He forgot the only reason he was able to come out of that situation with the lion was because God did something. But the reason he got distracted is that he kept playing with what almost killed him.
Is there any area in your life where you’re still playing with the distraction that has almost killed you? Is there any area in your life where you keep going through the doors? In fact, what happens is when you go through these doors, it gets so easy for you now that you don’t knock or say anything. It’s like, «Yo, what are y’all doing in here? Okay, I’ll be back. I’m going into this other door. I’ll be back. Y’all be good. I’ll be back.» And what happens is the doors stay open. There’s nothing keeping me there; there is nothing stopping me. It’s very simple for people now to walk through doors that I’ve already opened. It’s easy for them to see what’s happening because nobody’s ever doing what I’m asking you to do today: on all your distractions, shut the door.
Pastor Mike, what are you saying to every distraction in your life? Shut it! Don’t leave it cracked; don’t have it kind of open—shut the door! I don’t know if you grew up like I did, but when it was hot outside and we were running in and out of the house, sometimes we would leave the door open, and then you would hear this voice come from heaven, saying, «Boy, shut the door!» I feel heaven calling somebody in here who has been distracted by things they walked into in different seasons and allowed to remain. This is the time where God is saying, «Shut the door!» I’m shutting it on abuse, lying, and insecurity. I’m shutting it on comparison, perversion, and addiction. God is calling some of you to shut the door. I will be everything God called me to be. I will shut the door to the enemy, and I will stand up and be focused. By faith, somebody give God a shout of praise in this place! This is what it’s going to look like. Somebody say, «I’m shutting the door.»
Now, standing all over this place, Pastor Mike, you didn’t tell us the title of your message. It’s very simple: «Shut the Door.» No, it’s not just «Shut the Door"—it probably should have been—but that sentiment is the answer. But I just want you to know there’s always a doorway to distraction, like, hear me, everybody. This will always be there. You’re one click away from ruining a place in your brain where you can look at your spouse in a healthy way. There will always be temptation, but the Bible says there is no temptation, no distraction that is common to man. He said God always provides a way of escape; or you could say it another way: there’s always another door. See, at the moment that I could go through the door of distraction, there is the door.
Romans 6:1: «Well then, should we keep going through these doors of distraction, keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace?» Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? How are we going to keep those doors cracked? Have you forgotten that when you were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism, and just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also—watch this—may live new lives. I don’t care how far you’ve gone down the doors of distraction; if you find yourself at a door right now, there are an infinite number of doors that lead to your death because the wages of sin is death, and the wages of going down this road of distraction is death. But wherever you are, the only thing that can change you is that you turn. The biblical word for that is repent.
God, I’ve been stuck at this door for years, and Father, I don’t see myself living without this substance. I don’t know what to do with what’s going on in my heart, Father God, and I’ve messed up so many things. Could You ever use anybody like me? Father, in this moment right now, I’m broken, I’m hurting, and I’m embarrassed. I don’t even feel like it’s worth trying to go back over there for all the people that I have to convince I’m not what I did. God, I made a career by this. I’m known on social media for this. God, I am a bad person. They can pull up tape on me— I have bodies everywhere, I have lies everywhere. So, God, what can You do with somebody like me? God, I ruined the church. Father God, I didn’t do what You said for me to do. God, I ruined my marriage. I don’t know what to do. I feel like I might as well keep going the other way, God.
Today I hear the Holy Spirit saying all it takes is for you to turn and stand up by faith, looking at everything that could be, shutting the door, and God is going to give you people and tribes and a church that will cheer for you. I see this whole section over here—can y’all tell me to come out? Come on, tell me to come out! Right now, in the midst of my moment, I don’t know what to do, but I see some light at the end of the tunnel. Have you been through this too? Have you gone through things like this? Can God give you a new life? Okay, I’m coming, and I’m going to shut the door on this. I don’t know if I can really make the whole change. I don’t know if God can use anybody like me. Has anybody ever lived an alternate lifestyle? Has anybody ever dealt with these sins? Has anybody had these secrets? But there’s somebody continuing to pray for me, and there’s somebody saying, «You can do this!» I don’t know what my life would be without this stuff, but right now I’m making a decision by faith to not look back and to shut the door and turn to the only door that can save me.
Yeah, what will this mean for me? A new life! Old things will pass away, and behold, He will make everything new! Everybody shout at me, «New!» One scripture for those, because this is ministering to somebody: John 10:9 says, «I am the door.» This is what Jesus says about Himself. Somebody say, «I am the door.» So for every door of distraction, God said that’s a door, but I am the door. If anyone enters by Me—through Jesus—he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 14:6 says, «Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth, and the life.»
Today, if you’ve been tempted by the door of distractions, I want to introduce you to the door. His name is Jesus, and all you have to do is open your heart and accept Him. Well, where are all the other doors? You don’t need any more doors because this one door can change your whole life. I need about 10,000 people who have experienced transformation to let somebody who’s decided know that Jesus can change everything. My last point is that Jesus is the only door to destiny. You want to do what God’s called you to do? No more distractions! You can even be saved and try to come over here, and today God’s calling you back—come back through the door. Come back through the way, the truth, and the life. I have a very strong altar call today, and I actually feel like the Holy Spirit confirmed it earlier as I was in the back.
If you know there are distractions in your life that you want to shut the door on once and for all, I need you to take a step of faith and come to this altar. This is not a long thing—this is not a long thing—but today you’re shutting the door. It’s okay for people to let you out of the aisle; just say, «Excuse me.» Come all the way to the front! Come on! I don’t care if you’re a pastor, a leader, a musician—you have your own choice. If there are distractions that you know you need to shut the door on, I want you to come. Come all the way up! Y’all, this altar is going to be full. This is a moment! I don’t care if your husband comes, I don’t care if your wife comes, I don’t care if your boyfriend comes, I don’t care if your girlfriend comes—this is for you. And there are some things that have been distractions that today you’re saying, «I’m shutting the door.»
Come on! I hear the Holy Spirit—He’s moving! Amen! And please, we’ll be all up the aisles, and «Well, there’s not space for me.» God knows my heart! Yeah, you’re still in denial. I’m not saying the altar changes you, but there’s something that happens when you make a sign. When you say, «I don’t care if anybody knows. I want the healing that God provides.» I’m going to say it. I’m giving a second—I’m staying; I’m pausing right here because some people’s pride is getting in the way right now. And I just hear the Holy Spirit telling me to do something—I’m going to shut all these doors one more time. I’m not even going to say anything. This is a prophetic symbol of what God is about to do in your life. Some of this stuff has been open, and it’s been open generationally. But I believe—get used to the sound! Get used to the sound! Get used to the sound! Get used to the sound! Hands lifted all over this altar! If you’re at home, the Spirit of God is with us! I want you to know there are people all over this place, down the aisle, in the middle.
Father God, this is our sign of surrender! Amen! And Holy Spirit, I am praying for every person under the sound of my voice that today is a turning point, a point of repentance from the pastor, Father God, all the way to the person who just came to faith. I thank You that in this moment we will no longer agree with our distractions; we cut ties with our distractions today! Father God, we are making a decision. We want the destiny that You designed for us! Father, Samson was supposed to be a deliverer and got taken out by his distractions. Today, Father, I rebuke the lies that tell us that our distractions are going to be the things that lead to our downfall. Today, Father, I thank You for divine focus. Come on, right now, begin to pray! Father, I thank You that every person who has made this faith step to come up—Father, whether we’ve been distracted by others, distracted by our own thoughts, distracted by entertainment, distracted by money, or distracted by fear—Amen! In the name of Jesus I declare that today your supernatural power will come upon us like never before to literally shut the door on the lies of the enemy. I pray specifically for those of us who have been in denial. Father, if there have been places in our hearts and minds where we wouldn’t even allow ourselves to be open to seeing a new truth, I thank you that we will remove pride and walk in humility right now in the name of Jesus. Father, this is not about self-improvement; this is about life transformation. God, we’re not just trying to do better; we’re trying to be who you’ve created us to be. So, Father, for every tear that is flowing and for every person who has found themselves in such a place of destruction, I thank you for hope rising right now in the name of Jesus. I declare and believe that you are bringing us into a place, Father God, where we will walk into the abundance of what our destiny looks like, not be trapped in the cycles of distraction that lead to destruction. I pray, Father God, that there would be a gentle spirit, that we would be empathetic with ourselves and others as we walk into new seasons. Give us grace to not think that everything changes overnight, but give us the grace to stay consistent on the journey. Father, I thank you that you will reveal to us, beyond Sunday, how we can practically put to death these distractions today. By your Spirit, we shut the door, amen, and we thank you for freedom in the name of Jesus. Thank you, Lord.
Look at me; some of you, I’m giving you permission to grieve. Hear me, hear me, hear me, listen. I’m saying this because for some of you, these things have been so familiar. You’ve been so distracted by being the victim that you never could see yourself having victory. I want you to go ahead; it’s okay to grieve, but we’re not going back. No, hear what I’m saying. There are practical things some of you need to do to shut the door. I said spiritually we’re shutting the door. For some of you, to close the door, you need an entirely new phone and a new phone number. There’s no way; my man, like that, I just got the phone. You need it, because that door opens at 2:00 in the morning, 3:00 in the morning, 6:00 in the morning. There’s too much access. Some of us need to have a conversation, and this is what I’m going to say to you: some of you don’t need to have a conversation because your distraction knows just what to say and how to make you feel. Girl, I thought we were in; I’m too… it needs to be «bo bo,» sorry, this conversation needs to happen. I’m going to go deeper; some of you have to move out of the places you’re staying. No, no, no, I’m not saying that it may not be the best physical situation for you right now, but staying with that roommate and those things, or staying with that boyfriend or girlfriend, or with that family is just toxic for you. You will be better off in a situation you don’t like than in a situation that feels comfortable but is killing you.
For others of you, I need you to hear me; we’re almost done. You need to come clean. I’m encouraging everybody to get into a tribe; sign up today, sign up next week because there are people just like you who have gone through what you’re going through or something similar and have wisdom. If it doesn’t come out of you, it kills you from the inside out. How are you going to shut the door to the distraction? I believe the Holy Spirit is going to ask you to do something uncomfortable. Some of you need to get off social media for the rest of the year. Pastor, what are they going to do when they can’t see what I’m doing? The same thing they were doing. Pastor, why are you saying that? Because it’s a distraction. Everything that happens politically leads you to tell your five followers how you feel about it and make a video. God is trying to give you a solution to something, but you’re so distracted.
Some of you are going to have to take… I’m talking to moms and dads; you’re going to have to change your schedule because you have no time for God to pour into you while you’re pouring out all day. The kids don’t have to do extreme fencing; I’m just saying, they’re in basketball, soccer, ballet; they’re in extreme… they’re not going to have a career in extreme fencing. Y’all get my point. Maybe you take back an hour to actually do the things that matter. Husbands and wives, date each other. Remember why you fell in love; talk about the things that are on your heart so they don’t fester and become something else. If you are divorced, hear me, go to counseling and tell somebody the places you were in denial, not just the places they were in denial. Healing is what God wants for us, and we’re going to walk out and shut the door on every distraction. If you are in this room, I feel the sweet presence of God in this place. Y’all, something is about to happen even in this moment.
I need to pray for salvation right here because someone is choosing right now to follow the way. If you’re watching me online or you’re in this room right now, on the count of three, if you want to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior, and you want to repent and go through this door, and I’m saying you may have done it before, but you weren’t serious, and God is saying right now, «I want you to make a fresh commitment,» if that’s you, on the count of three, I want you to slip your hand in the air. One: you’re making the greatest decision you’ve ever made. Two: God is with you, and your name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I see you, my brother; I see you, my sister. Oh, y’all got to shout better than that! I see you; I see you, bro. More than that, God sees you. God sees you; God sees you; God sees you. Hey, listen online, this is the moment, and God sees you. At Transformation Church, we’re family; nobody prays alone. So, if one of those brothers or sisters was near you, just slip your hand on them, and everybody else, let’s pray. Say:
God, thank you for sending Jesus just for me. Today, I repent and turn to you. I believe you lived; I believe you died, and you rose again with all power just for me. Use me; change me; renew me. I’m yours forever. I will no longer be distracted by anything, but I will be focused on you. In Jesus' name, amen.