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A Good Word Gone Bad: The Problem With Prosperity // Six Figures (Part 1) // Pastor Michael Todd
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Everybody wants six figures… but what if we’ve misunderstood what that actually means?In Week 1 of the Six Figures series, we address prosperity, one of the most misunderstood words in culture and Christianity. Pastor Michael Todd breaks down the Word...
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I just booked my vrbo because there was a sweet wine fridge.
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Pastor Mike
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Podcast Host
Welcome to Transformation Church Podcast where we represent God to the lost and found for transformation in Christ. We're so glad you're here and wherever you're listening from, we believe God will transform your life through today's message. If you could, would you get out your notepad and your smartphone or dumb phone and get ready to receive God's word? I want to pray, Father. Anything I say does not matter if we don't have hearts to receive it. So today, give us hearts that are soft enough for the right seeds to be planted. We've had hard weeks. Some of us have been disappointed. Some of us have been confused about what's going on. But right now, in your presence, I thank you that peace is here. It's the peace that passes all understanding. And so Father, would you speak to us so that we can actually live an abundant life? Have your way in this place is my prayer. And all God's children in this place say Amen. All right, let's do this thing. Well, we're starting a brand new series today and I get excited about a brand new series because I've been holding this One. Because the truth of the matter is, this series has the opportunity to transform your mind around something that all of us are thinking about. Everybody's thinking about money. Oh, no, not me. Liar. Some of you have checked your account three times today. Some of us get notifications every time something shifts in our account balance. Many of us right now are planning our lives around what the decimals say in our bank account. Some of us have joy right now because of how much we have, and some of us are in sorrow. Okay, y', all, come on. Because of how much we don't have, many of us feel great on payday. Come on, let's be honest. How many people get an extra little pep in they step when that little cha ching hits you like, ah. And as soon as that first payment comes out for the house you live in, you're like, God, dawg. Today, I want to let you know very clearly we are going to talk about money, but it's not the focus. A lot of people don't understand and realize how important it is to be able to bring God's truth around things that we all deal with. But because there's been people who have done wrong around the topic, people stay away from it. My job as your pastor, I'm not everybody's shepherd, but I'm yours. Is to make sure you understand the things that God says that you are supposed to have and how you're supposed to interact and connect with them. So today, this new series is called Six Figures. Everybody say six figures. How many people in here would love to make six figures consistently monthly? Oh, come on. I'm talking to somebody. Six figures weekly, huh? Huh? Somebody had the crazy faith that I'd make it daily. No. Okay. Everybody wants to make six figures. It's like last 10 years, it's been like a culturally coined phrase. Like, I'm just trying to get six figures, or what type of man do you want he got to make six figures? Come on, let's. Let's talk about it. Let's think about. Many of us are trying to raise to a certain level, but I started to think about this cultural fleas. And I was like, I know a lot of people that make six figures who aren't fulfilled. I counsel plenty of people that have not just six figures, seven figures, eight figures. And you were like, I wish I could see what they talking about. We can trade places. But the truth of the matter is the number or the figure you have in your account does not mean you will be fulfilled. And I thought, what are the six Figures that God wants to expand and shape our faith around. And so for the next few weeks, I'm going to be talking about six figures that shape your faith to live an abundant life. See, because God doesn't want you to just have money. He wants you to have an abundant life. He wants you to be able to walk in a lifestyle that doesn't add sorrow with it. And so in this series, I want you to be able to listen because I'm going to have to challenge. Watch this. Some of your cultural constructs I'm coming for. Some of your family ideas, I'm coming for. Spirits that have been on you, that have been borrowed from people you didn't even find out the source they got it from. From. Okay? And today I want you to understand the six figures God cares about so that you can live a life of abundance. So these are the six figures we going to talk about that are going to shape your faith. We going to talk about work. Three Amens. But the truth of the matter is, most of you think your job and your work are synonymous. And God gave Adam work even though all his needs were supplied. We'll talk about it later. We're going to talk about rest. How many people could use some more rest? We're going to talk about it. We're going to talk about motives. We're going to talk about multiplication. We're going to talk about priority. And we're going to talk about generosity. And yes, we're going to talk about money. And the reason I say this is because one third of all of the message that Jesus gave publicly were about money, generosity and possessions. And the reason why Jesus talked about it so much is not because he cares a lot about money. He knows you do. He knows we do. He knows it's the reason why I can or cannot be a blessing on all occasions. He knows that it changes my attitude. There are people I don't like because I think they have more money than me. You don't even know. And God's saying your heart and resources are connected. And what I want is to correct the thing that no one can see. This series is an inside job. It's going to challenge the things that you think. And your neighbor ain't gonna know what's going on on the inside of you. The tension that's going on, the wrestle. And God wants to reveal these things because I believe he wants you to live in abundance. But the thing that can mess up the money, the influence, the platform he gives you is the mindset. And today I'M coming to change and challenge the mindset of God's people around this idea of living an abundant life. John 10:10 the thief, the enemy, our adversary does not come except to do what? Steal, kill, and destroy. But Jesus is talking, and he said, but I've come that you may have life, and that you may have life more. Watch this word abundantly. Jesus is saying, my whole reason for coming. There's gonna be a lot of details that come, but my whole reason. If I could sum it up in one thing, I want you to live an abundant life. What? Like that's what you want for me? Yep. What about grace and mercy and it's all wrapped up in a abundant life. What about resources and blessing others and being able to walk in the fruits of the Spirit? It's all wrapped up in an abundant life. And God wants your life to be. Watch this Full Some of us have lived the most empty, barely making it at the bottom, just enough to get by lives. That's not why God gave up his only son. It's so you could survive. He wants your life to be just somebody. Say abundant. Say it like it's a big word. Abundant. What if every area of your life was abundant? More than enough. Oh, y' all didn't hear me Think about your marriage. Been like, girl, stop kissing me. Dang. Our love is so abundant. It's more than enough. Think about every time you get ready to bless somebody, you got to tell yourself, I don't know if they ready for that. That might be too much for them to handle. What if every time you looked at your health, you'd be like, man, I've never been more healthy, have more energy. I don't even need those things to stay up no more. I'm. I'm living in a what if. When you prayed, you were praying to see who God wanted you to answer their prayer. Not just that God would answer their prayer. Abundance. What if you didn't have to be seen and you were still fulfilled? Oh, I'm talking about abundance. I'm talking about. I'm not on the gram. I'm not showing you what I'm doing on Facebook and I'm actually happy. Abundance. And this is what I want everybody listening to me to know because I'm reversing some of the lies that you have believed God desires.
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I just booked my VRBO because there was a sweet wine fridge.
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Podcast Host
With VRBoCare, help is always ready before, during, and after your stay. We've planned for the plot twists, so support is always available. Because a great trip starts with peace of mind for his children to live an abundant life. Why Pastor Mike? Cause it's a reflection of him. If you read all the characteristics of God, he's the God that owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He's the God that pours out his grace unending. There's no sin you can do where the grace is not great. He is a abundant. And then you look at they his kids. Okay, y' all ever met somebody who got it all? Gucci Louie down, Got. Got all the things, got all the lululemon, got all the aloe, got everything. And then the kids walk up. Oh, y' all know what I'm talking about. It changes the way you looking at them, cuz. Oh, them young. Those your kids? Why? Because the reflection many times is the way people get to understand who the person is. I believe that this is an area that needs to be represented. That's why in this church during this series, we're not taking any offerings that are outside of what we normally do. There will be no second offerings. There's no building campaign. In fact, during the series, we're going to give money away. Pastor Mike, why are you saying this? Because most people who have an aversion to resources, they, like the church, just want my money. You ain't gave it no way. So first off, let's. Let's. Let's be clear. We've been able to survive without your money. And number two, the enemy is trying to keep you from a principle that will change your legacy. And today I. I have the authority. I live this. I started out in poverty. I started out with a poverty mindset. Oh, you couldn't tell about what I had on, but. But I had a poverty mindset. Not because it's what I was exposed to, not because it was because of what I adopted. And the Holy Spirit after salvation had to break off of me. A mindset that was keeping me watch this from his best for me. And I'm believing through this series by faith that many people are about to walk out of the idea of poverty. I'm not just talking about money. Some of you are poor relationally. Some of you do not have enough emotionally. God's going to allow you to live. Say it with me one more Time abundantly. Let me help you understand what abundantly is. Abundantly is spiritual fullness, material provision, generosity, and God's overflowing grace. When God says, I want you to live abundantly, he says, I want you to be spiritually full. I want you to have whatever material provision you need. I want you to have generosity to be able to be a blessing to others. And I want you to experience God's overflowing grace. Write this down, because I believe it's going to be an anchor in this entire series. Abundance is fueled by the principle of proper management, not from endlessly pursuing more. I need to give this to you very clear right now, because a lot of you think abundance is a lot. Having a lot does not mean you're in abundance most of the time. Having a lot means you're overwhelmed. Come on, let's be honest. God says, I want you to properly steward over what you have. When you become a good steward, you live in abundance. Right now, some of us have more clothes and more shoes than we know what to do with. Right now. We can't even get to our bathroom because we got to step over mountains, hills, and valleys. Come on, let's be honest. Some of us got storages for our storage. Y' all got. What I'm saying, what I'm telling you is a lot does not equal abundance. Proper stewardship does. And we're going to talk about that as we go. Today is just a foundation because I believe that God wants you to live a life of abundance. So just write this point down very clearly, very simple. I've said it several times. But God desires for me to live an abundant life. That's what he desires for you. A lot of people, I've heard it said like this. Love God, love people, use money. But a lot of people mix those up. They use God, love people and love money. Or they love God, use people and love money. Oh, come on, y'. All. But the proper order for everything that we have to do when it comes to resources is we love God. Somebody say love God. Love people, use money. It's a tool. It's just a tool. This is not the thing I live and die for. It's the thing that I use to live. Okay, I'm gonna walk you through this. And many people have gotten that out of order. So as I teach you this series, I'm teaching from a place that I have walked out of poverty into a level of purpose that allows me to understand the concept. So I'm going to identify with every person in this Room to be able to help us walk into a brand new mindset and get a revelation. And what is a revelation? It's just revealed truth. It's a truth that's already there, but we don't see it yet. And I believe God is going to allow so many people to see the truth that God wants you to live an abundance life. Can I get one big amen? All right. So there's this thing that's been happening to me lately as I'm getting a little older. I'll be 40 this year. And yeah, I'm excited about being 40. Like, it feels like my life is just beginning. I mean, I don't know what 75 feels like, Bishop, but 40 feel good. You know what I'm saying? I know what to. And what to. What not to do. For me, I. I understand how my body works now, and I'm figuring out what I like to do and what I don't like to do. I sometimes, you know, get it wrong of how athletic I still am. I've had a nagging injury that has gone from my ankle to my knee now to my brain, but. But I consider myself a pretty relevant person. And I was. I give compliments. I'm an encourager. So, like, if you know me, you're around me, I'm going to tell you, like, man, you look nicer. Da, da, da, da. So I was talking to a guy the other day, and I said, man, you're handsome. And out of the blue, I heard somebody say, hey, yo, pause. And I looked at him, I was like, hey, yo, pause. What do you mean, pause? I've been getting paused a lot, and I wasn't clear what pausing was until I asked my daughter. I was like, what is pause? It's like, you know, when you probably like, what you said meant one thing, but because of the cultural definition of it, it now means something else. And so I was like, so I can't tell another man he handsome? And he was like, hey, yo, pause. And I was like, what? Hold on, what are you talking about? And I'm confused. I'm frustrated. Some of the older people are looking at me like I still don't get it. What they're saying is if I tell another man he's handsome, somebody might think that maybe I like him in a way that I don't like him. And it's not just a compliment, it's more than a compliment. And maybe this could escalate to something that. And I was like, shut up. I said, I'm a double down you not just handsome, you're God's masterpiece. Like, whoa, hey yo, pause. Like why can't I give somebody else to come? Why can't I do it? And what I, what I, I realized that that pause idea, that pause perception is fueled by ignorance and many times immaturity. I, I just want to say, I know the youth section, y' all be pausing all day. Pause, like what, what I'm saying is when, when something has a meaning but it gets twisted. You can be saying one thing, but somebody take it as something else. And what I figured out is that in 2026, there are some phrases that God gives us that have been hijacked because of ignorance. And today I just, I feel like it's part of my job in the beginning of this series to literally dismantle one of them so you can receive what God has called you to receive in this series. And as a pastor, this is my job. So I stand flat footed, 10 toes down today to tell anybody and everybody that God has watching this, that we have to come out of ignorance. Ignorance translated in the Greek actually comes down to darkness. Wherever there is darkness in your life, you're ignorant in that area, you can't see it. And when you begin to study out scripture, I need everybody to understand that understanding actually means light. So when you're ignorant, you're in darkness. When you get understanding, you're in light. That's why the Bible says and all you're getting, I need you to get an understanding. That's why we can't take TikTok clips and create theologies around it. Because you didn't even get an understanding. You didn't check the source. You don't know who them people are. Just because the lighting was good and the video was high quality and the voice sounded convincing doesn't mean it's true. This is why you can't believe everything you hear about me online. Well, isn't he? Or is it he? You ain't never met me, you ain't even been around me. You think I'm short in real life. I can't tell you how many people, when they meet me in real life, they're like, dang, you're so tall. This screen lying to you. I'm almost six two. What I'm telling you is you cannot form things in your conscience off a clip. This is a dangerous time in church, in life, people are putting things in their body because of a clip. Y' all done ordered stuff off of Amazon cause somebody was selling something on TikTok shop. They ain't never take it. They just get paid for it. You want their results? They don't even do it. Okay. And today I have to go in and I believe it's part of my pastoral responsibility to help you be able to redeem a word that has been hijacked that if I was to say it in Christianity, a lot of people would say Paul's can I give you the word? Want to be a star? No problem. Anyone can shine on TikTok. Post your first video today. Real life, real story, real you download TikTok and get started.
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Oh and for the pool cuz pools are cool.
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If you know you've erbo, y' all ready for it. Prosperity. Hey yo, pause. Cuz right now in the world if I say the word prosperity and then I put the word gospel behind it, there are people who have no idea what it actually means, but they stay away from it. Prosperity pause. Oh, that's a prosperity church. Are they teaching a prosperity gospel? Oh, they all they only about prosperity. Have you studied it? Have you checked the source? Do you know where it came from? Do you have any context around that phrase? And right now it's being not just hijacked, it's being weaponized. And today I need us to pause or let me say selah, which actually means pause and think. You don't just need to pause, you need to pause and think. Because if you selah and get the understanding and then you come to the conclusion I don't want nothing to do with that. Cool. But many of us have walked away watch this. From a principle and a promise of God because it has bad cultural connotation. The word gospel means good news. But I have to acknowledge that people have gotten involved. So when somebody says if you're new to church or you've never heard this idea or this theme, I'm going to help you because you're going to be so ahead of the game because you're not going to have to filter through a bunch of talk, toxicity and all kinds of stuff. But I want to put everybody on the same playing field. When people say prosperity gospel, it is culturally complicated because what they mean by that is that this prosperity gospel is centered around manipulation, around money, deceptive motives, an opulent lifestyle, lottery, living. I'M gonna give God something. He going cha ching, cha ching, hit me back with tenfold selfish gain, a pyramid scheme. Give ten, get twenty. Give twenty, get a thousand. And it's been around. Exploiting vulnerable people and preying on people's ignorance. You got a church that ain't got no air, but the pastor has a private jet. Come on, let's. If we going to talk. Okay, if we going to talk about it, let's talk about it. The building fund. Ain't nothing ever got built. Come on. People done gave their life savings. Granny done it. But no actual evidence. And because people have gotten involved. I want to give you the title of my message. Today a good word has gone bad. Today the title of the message is a good word gone bad. The problem with prosperity. I gotta help you, because if you don't get your own understanding from God about this word, you will let culture rob you of a promise that God gave before any of us was here. Okay, if you want to know the problem with prosperity, it's three things. Let me tell you. The problem with prosperity is people perception and perversion. When you bring prosperity into it, people have manipulated people in the name of a word that God gave us that have nothing to do with him. And as long as there will be people on this earth, somebody will try to twist what God says is good. Can I tell you, all the way back in Genesis when, when. When God told Adam and Eve, like, hey, you protected you good. You can eat from any tree except this one. What was the enemy's first conversation with. With. With man? Did God really say he was trying to pervert what God said was good into something that was bad? So anytime you see the word prosperity, think about the people who are talking about it. And then you have to think about the perception. What is the perception behind it? And has it been perverted? Pastor Mike, why is this important? Because prosperity is biblical. If I said prayer was biblical, you'd be like, amen. Glory to God. Pray for me, Pastor. If I said healing is biblical, everybody will want healing. If I said love is biblical for God, so love the world. Oh, my God. That he gave prosperity is biblical. Let me prove it to you, because y' all looking like. Give me Scripture. Deuteronomy 28:11. Listen to this. The Lord who will. The Lord who will do it? The Lord. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity. There's our two words. The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity. Stop. Think. What would abundant prosperity from God look like? The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock, and your crops of the ground. He's saying your business will prosper in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. This is a promise that was started before you. The Lord will open up the heavens, my God, the storehouses of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but will borrow from none of them. The Lord will make you the head and not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God, that I give you this day and carefully follow them. That means there's obedience attached to abundance. Did you hear what I just said? Obedience is attached to abundance, okay? It says if you do what he says, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Bible. That's not enough for some of you because you're a skeptic. Proverbs 11:25. A generous person will say the word with me. Prosper. I know it's like a cuss word. I don't want to say it. What if somebody sees me? What if God promised it to you? What if it's a benefit of being in the kingdom of God? No good father would ever tell their child, I don't want you to prosper, okay? I would never go to my children and be like, I hope you stay the same. I hope you really hit a, like, loop in your life. Like, real cyclic, real cycle, Cycle, son. Cycle, child. No, I want you to prosper. I want you to prosper in your thinking. I want you to grow in your ability to perceive. I want you to understand your emotions. I want you to be able to manage things. I want you to. This is the same thing God's saying about you because you're his child. He said, if you're generous, you're going to prosper. Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Pastor Mike, Both of those are Old Testament examples. We are under a new covenant. Y' all want some new. You want some New Testament on that? I want you to understand. We're under a new covenant, but we serve a God with the same character. Me and PC Were talking about that. That. That the New Covenant does not demolish God's old character. So if he was good, he's still going to be good. If he did provide, he's still going to provide. If he did love you, he's still going to love. Third John, New Testament, Chapter one, verse two. Beloved, I pray that you. Y' all got to say it with me. Y' all scared to cuss in church? I pray that you prosper in. No, only some of them. He says, I pray that you prosper in your business, your family, your finances, your health. I want your hair growth to prosper. I want your eyebrows to be on fleek. I pray that you prosper in encouragement. I. I pray that you prosper. And some of y' all want to leave God's desire for us and his design for us on the table because of somebody else's definition. You gonna leave what God said on the table because of what Gary said? I'm gonna choose another name. Bishop, it's your birthday. Because of what Garrett said. Guys, you cannot let culture define what God's already defined. So, Pastor Mike, what's your whole point today? Today, if you don't get nothing else, I want you to know this one thing. You have permission to prosper. Somebody should get excited about that. You have permission by God's word. Not Pastor Mike's word, by God's word, to. It's good news. Protein packed meals in 10 minutes. TikTok's got millions of them. Could you whip one up in under eight? Probably. But hey, it's not a race. Grab the recipes on TikTok and start cooking. You have permission to prosper. The Todd family has permission to prosper. Transformation Church has permission to pro. The Metcalf family, the. The Heckinbach family, the Degree family, We have permission to pro. I tell my kids, you have permission to prosper. You have permission to be everything God's called you to be. My daughters today. They, they, they. They brought a business to church other day. My daughter's been into baking. Ava been into baking. And so she baked some Rice Krispie treats. And I don't know what kind of heaven that the Holy Spirit slipped into those Rice Krispie treats. Or it could just be, I ain't been eating sugar like that, but I bit into that thing. And you know when you eat something and it make your knees do a little ooh. Woo. So me and. Me and her mom was just hyping her up. Ava, these Rice Krispies treats is the bomb. You should sell them. You should sell. And Ava's like me when I was little. She was like, hmm. So she employed her older sister and her. She has two employees. Her, her older sister and Coco have baked up 60 rice Krispie treats, packaged them, put pink bowls on them, done all this other stuff, and brought them to church to use their nepotism to make you buy them. They have fully taken advantage of their Last name? You already bought some, Mo. They already bought some. Hear me. Hear me. And everything in me is saying, prosper, baby. Take the little that God's given you. It may seem like nothing to anybody else, but I want you to try. You're only 7 years old, but you gonna learn things right now. That's gonna set you up to be in business and bless other people later on. Now, we ain't just gonna take all that money and go spend it. We're gonna honor God with it. We're gonna teach them priority. I want you to. To pro. If me, as a father with human sin running through my veins, wants my child to prosper, how much more you have permission? I want you to feel that in your soul. He said, above all else. I want above all else. Above praying for 12 hours. Come on, y'. All, we gonna do it. But above that, above spending all day in worship. Above, above. I want you to prosper in all things. At the level. Watch this. That your soul prospers. Mind, will and emotion. So he said, I don't want you to just have all things. That's why you can have all things and still not be fulfilled. And that's why another scripture says, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his? God says soul needs to be wealthy. And at the level, your soul prospers. Let your money prosper. Let your relationships prosper. You have permission to prosper, Pastor Mike. For real? Yeah. Because the truth of the matter is this term was defined by God before we ever heard it. And always check the source of the place. You're finding out your information. I only chose three scriptures so that we could get out on time today. But through this whole series, I' ma teach you that your right as a king's kid is to prosper in every area. You should be the best at your job. Okay? I have the advantage. I have the Holy Spirit. I can know what the meeting's gonna be about before I walk in the meeting. Y' all ain't. Y' all don't hear me. You have somebody say I have the advantage. There are things in wisdom and discernment. And why would you leave the promises of God on the table just because somebody else doesn't understand it, never experienced it, or can't define it? Do we just leave the Holy Spirit out of our Christian walk because certain groups of people don't understand the Holy Spirit before any of us was here, The Bible tells us Jesus says it's better that I leave because when I leave, I'M sending another one. He's the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. The one that will come alongside of you and help. And he's going to guide you in your day to day into all truth. That's why the truth is important, y'. All. He sets you free. So anytime there's a. A term in church that kind of gets twisted, it's a good word that goes bad. I want you to put it in this matrix. I want you to put the term in, and then I want you to define it by the truth of God's word. Then I want you to see where the enemy would try to twist it. And then I want you to see where he's trying to trick you. Okay, just write that down. Term, truth, twist, trick. Because again, the enemy's plan is to turn everything that God says is good into something that you think is bad. Because the enemy doesn't need to kill you if he makes God's promises to you powerless. Remember, his job is to steal, kill, and destroy. Pastor Charles said it a week ago. He said he does not have to kill you if he actually steals the purpose and the use of the thing. So your life will be destroyed if you don't think that you can be abundant. So all your prayers is about God. Could you just please meet my needs? I want to meet your needs. I know God sometimes. If it was me, he what? But because of a mindset or. You can be healed. You can be free. It's not just with the word prosperity. It's with many words that we have in the church. And the enemy has tricked us to make us feel that we cannot fully believe in them, so that they're powerless in our lives. This is why some people can come into a service and get healed, because they actually believe God can heal. And there are other people that will be in that same service and need the healing, but they feel nothing. It's not because God's not moving. It's because somewhere deep down, that thing has gotten to us, where it's changed our mindset about what God can do. And so what I'm telling you is marriages can be restored. Do you believe it? There's a story in the Bible where a man literally went into the prostitution house to get. Y' all don't want to be here is too real. God said, go get her out of the place of perversion. Speak words of life over her, restore her, and their relationship was reconciled. God can do these things. Question is, do you believe it? And has a good word gone bad? Okay, right now, if I told somebody, the term I'm about to use is cold. Hey, man, she cold. Oh, man, that dude on the basketball court, he cold. Or if I said, man, it's cold in here, it's the same word. It's the same word, but depending on who's using it, how they using it, where they using has totally different definitions. Term cold. The truth, it's a frigid temperature. The twist could be, oh, dang, she look cold. She look good. The trick is that in the wrong situation, a compliment could be taken as an insult. Do y' all see if we're not working from the same definitions, the right thing can mean the wrong thing and get a bad reaction. Let me use the inverse. Hot, bro, she's hot. Come on. My wife's favorite one, it's hot in here. Like, like, same word, but depending on who's using it where the context it can mean. If I'm in the hood and somebody says the block is hot, some of y' all know. Some of y' all know. If somebody say the block is hot, the block, some of y' all know cash Money for the 992000. If I say the block is hot, it doesn't mean we need a fan. It means the popo is watching and you need to calm down whatever activities you're doing. What I'm saying is if you don't define the term, find the truth, you can be tripped into compromise. And when it comes to the term prosperity, what's the truth that God says? Abundance is what God wants in every area of your life. That's what the scripture says. The twist is perversion of a godly principle to leave you powerless. And the trick is to leave you compromised. So anytime you hear the word prosperity or somebody saying, that's a prosperity church or a prosperity gospel or a prosperity something, you don't even investigate more. You don't say God. What is the truth you're trying to show me? What is the thing? There are people that have told me, oh, I can't go to your church because you're a prosperity church, because we're big. You don't say that about Amazon. Nobody says that about Walmart or Costco. They don't say, I can't come to you because you're big. Like, but the truth of the matter is because of the term and how people's mindset has been perverted. I ain't never once said, you have never heard me say we're a prosperity gospel church. You never heard me say that's not a claim on anything. What it is is when you live God's principles, though, fruit starts happening. If fruit is around me, it's a byproduct. This is what we say. It's not the focus, it's the fruit. This is what God promises in our lives. You will be like a tree planted by the rivers of living water. You will be producing fruit in every seat. When everybody's in recession, when everybody's fearful, when everything God said, fruit abundance, more than enough, more than enough, more than enough. And you want me to wither up. You want me to deny the fruit that God promises us. Now if at the moment you see some crooked, manipulative, jacked up, we've given millions of dollars away. One thing nobody has ever said is that the check we promised them did not clear. You can say, you can say a lot of things and you can assume a lot of things, but one YouTube video that has never been created is that they promised me an amount from the stage, did the check and put it on the thing and we wasn't able to cash it. Do you know we couldn't bless people if we didn't prosper? Oh God, if I was still in a poverty mindset, we would be building buildings and shrines to us. We've given away over $38 million. Why? Because we live a life of abundance. It's not just for us, it's for the whole kingdom. It's not just for me, it's for my neighborhood. It's not just for my family, it's for the generation. And if prosperity is a promise of God, where has it been perverted in you? If it's just a semantic thing, don't use the word prosperity, use abundance. That's why I titled the Series 6 figures how to Live a Life of Abundance. But it could very well be titled Six Figures how to Live a Life of Prosperity because it's what God designs. I came that you might have life and a life that prospers or a life that is abundant, you have permission to prosper. Out of a hundred people, I pray that 62 of y' all get this. This is going to break the mindset that has kept you low. I need to shrink back. I need to not show nobody. I need to not. God says, let me check your heart, let me get your motives right. Cuz there's one thing he won't compete with money. He says you can't serve both God and money. He said so I'm not competing with that. And think, think about It God compares himself to nobody else in the entire Bible except the idea of money, because he knows it has the potential to take his place in our hearts. So next week, we got to deal with that. But that doesn't mean you throw away the whole principle and you don't throw away the whole promise. Today you have permission to prosper. Envision your home being a place of peace with more than enough room to bring people in and host them a long table that you can feed. And you don't gotta ask everybody to chip in $10 to pay for the meal. Well, no, they're there. They're. But you still got a poverty mindset. I'm not saying you don't do that while you have to. But what if you could bring people to your home and it just be freely given to them so that you could do as the Bible says in Acts 2:42, they met together and ate together and shared together, and they gave one to each other, whatever the other person needed. What if somebody came to you and said, I need a car? And all you had to do was like, what kind Mo? They don't want to live. They don't want to live an abundant life. And right now, some of you, greed just came up in you. Because what just happened when I talked about that level of abundance, you started thinking about yourself. Well, before I get them another car, let me figure out what my car is doing, because if I'll get in my car, then I'll go get a new car. What just triggered what just came, that's what we have to address. What if God told you to stay in the apartment and help pay somebody's mortgage for a year? Oh, y' all don't want to live at Acts 242 church? They gave whatever somebody needed. Pastor Mike, why are you talking about this? Because I live it. I can't prove it to you. I won't. That would be futile. But there are people around me that know I went from thinking about myself in every situation because that's what sin is. It's selfish. I used to be so poor in my mindset. Like, I used to. Like, you know, you go to something and like, you make a to go plate before you eat the plate that you. Y' all know what I'm talking about. Like, oh, there's plenty here. So let me take it to the car, then come in with a fresh face. Poverty. Because I was thinking, oh, this is. This is free. Somebody provided this. How do I take advantage of it? How do I get more for myself? How do I make sure I have food tonight and tomorrow and the next day? I used to. I used to wear stuff and place the tag gently. And then take it back. Oh, it's quiet in here. Some of y' all look convicted. There's. I just looked at somebody. They eyes looked at me big. Use the stuff for the party and then take back everything that you can. That's stealing. No, it ain't gone because they can resell it. It's got your germs on it. And the reason I'm saying that is some people can't divorce a lifestyle that. That is somehow good stewardship instead of stealing. And that God could bless you enough to where you could just buy it and use it and then give it away to somebody. You ain't even thought about that. You ain't even thought, like, oh, you just take it back. Like, yeah, take it back if you don't use it, Take it back if it don't fit. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that. But if you fully put your butt in it, wear it, pass gas in it, use the restroom. No, I'm serious. And then you. And then you take it back. You're nasty. And you have a poverty mindset. And God's desire is for you to go into the store and see somebody looking at it and be like, let me get that for you, Drea. I'm talking about living an abundant life. I don't need this anymore. Well, it's exclusive. Exclusive. This tight on my feet. Some of y' all are in clothes right now that are hurting you. They're digging into your sides, digging into your pinkies, digging into your head. But because it's cool. Cause it makes you feel, you are in pain, you stop listening. 30 minutes. And the truth of the matter, it didn't fit when you bought it. But the truth. Is that there's. There's something in your mind that says you can't get another one. And so instead of being a blessing to somebody, it could really be a blessing to add no sorrow to. You keep it. You hold it. You hoard it. I just believe by crazy faith, there are some people under the sound of my voice that this is about to unlock something in you that you have permission to prosper. The abundant life is the fruit of focusing on Jesus and obeying what he says. I just want to clear this up. Two minutes and we're out of here. I want to take this good word, prosperity, that has gone bad in this culture, and I want to just clarify Some statements just for those who will watch this and clip it up and try to make something I didn't say be said. Let me just say it and I'm put on the screen for all of those that can't hear the words that I'm saying. And you need proof in letters. Here we go. Is having money proof you are blessed by God? No. Can having money be used to be a blessing? Yes. Does faith always lead to financial blessing? No. Do you need faith to live financially free, fulfilled and be a blessing? Yes. Does God promise you riches if you follow him? No. Not one disciple got that promise. But does God promise to meet all of your needs if you give? Are you guaranteed multiplied personal wealth? No. Does God say that being generous has a direct impact on our lives? Yes. Should you spend life focused on material things? No. Don't store up on this earth resources and treasure. That's going to rust. He said send it to the next life. Put your heart into things that matter. But are material things a tool to bless others and glorify God? Yes. Does God guarantee perfect health and wealth? No. But does God care about your health and wealth? Yes. Does the Bible teach the prosperity gospel? No. He doesn't preach the prosperity gospel in the definition that culture believes. But is the story of the gospel God dying so that you can prosper in this life and the next? Yes. You have permission to prosper. Standing all over this building. If God doesn't give Jesus and Jesus doesn't give his life, we don't get to prosper. I'm gonna say it one more time. The whole gospel is that we was gonna be jacked up. So God gave Jesus. Jesus gave his life so that then we could give our life back to him. The whole story of the gospel, the good news is about giving. God gave, Jesus gave, we give. Did y' all just see it that quick? God gave Jesus. Jesus gave his life so that we can give our life back to him. So if we don't want to talk about giving and generosity and prospering, how does our soul prosper if we don't give our life to Jesus today? You don't just have permission to prosper in financial things or material things. That's low level. I want your soul to prosper today. If you don't know Jesus, I want to introduce you to the greatest gift that has ever been given. You talking about giving money? Try giving your only. That's what God did for a chance at a relationship with me and you. And some of us are still holding on to our Lives because we want to do it our way and we want it to be on our terms and we want to make the own rules when we're figuring out that don't work anyway. I need a church to begin to pray because there are people right now that. This message wasn't even about anything material for you. It was for the one thing that God has been after your whole life, your soul. And today God wants your soul to prosper. Everything else will come. Everything else will come. But he's saying, my father gave and I gave my life. Would you give yours? Would you allow me to be the Lord of your life so that you could prosper in all things. In your marriage, in your relationship, in your ideas and your thoughts. I want to give you these six figures. But if you don't give me your heart first, you're not going to believe the things that I'm promising because they good and they're scandalous. The gospel scandalous. How in the world do I mess up and get the best reward? How in the world can I still have a habit? And God looks beyond my faults and says, yeah, I'm not going to judge you on the habit. If you give me your heart, I'll help you change your habit. Who racks up a bill and then the person who owns the restaurant comes and say, I'll pay for it. That's the God we serve. What a mighty God we serve. What a grace filled God. What a prosperous God. What a God that abounds in love or an abundant God. He wants you to live an abundant life, but it starts with an action of surrender. If you're under the sound of my voice in this building, watching online, watching in a prison cell, and you've been far from God or you've never given your life to him before. Today is the day of salvation. This is the step you're about to make into an abundance, abundant life. Your soul is about to prosper and I know their habits and cultural ideas and things that you've been taught. Let God renew you, refresh you, give you a brand new heart. Today is a day that you've been praying for and you didn't know it was going to come today. But do not think that this is an accident. Your whole life has been leading up to this moment. And today all you have to do is receive the free gift of grace. Grace that God has given you for this abundant life. John 10:10 says, it's the whole reason he came, that you could have life and life abundantly. On the count of three if you want to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and savior and you want to start walking into this abundant life, I just want you to slip your hand in the air or put a hand on the chat, because this is saying I identify Pastor. I want to be added in that prayer. Church, I need you to pray because somebody's life is in the balance right now, and I believe they're about to make the right decision. One, you're making the greatest decision you could ever make. Two, I'm proud of you. But more than that, your name is going to be written in the Lamb's book of life and your eternity is going to be secure if you want to give your life to Jesus and walk in this abundant life. Three, would you shoot your hand up all over this place? I see you, my brother. I see you, my brother. I see you, my sister. I see you, my brother. I see you. More than that, God sees you. Can we give God praise right there? Glory to God. Well, I feel the presence of God. Hey, listen, at Transformation Church, everybody's a family. We all been there. I've been there. God is throwing a party in heaven over one person that gives their life to Christ. I mean, it's a turn up going on. Y' all think the whom the son sets free. I want to end on a praise party. I know, I know people need prayer, but I need to end on a praise party because we're talking about being redeemed. We're redeeming the word prosperity. We're redeeming life back to people who have been dead. Today is the day. Something's about to change in you. And at Transformation Church, we're a family. So everybody lift your hands for the benefit of those who are coming to Christ. Say, God, thank you for sending Jesus just for me today. I give you my life and I repent from all sin. And I turn to you. I believe you lived, you died, and you rose again so that I could live an abundant life. Change me, renew me, transform me. I'm yours forever. In Jesus name, Amen. Can we celebrate? Oh, come on, tc. Let's celebrate. All the new family, welcome to the kingdom. You have permission to prosper.