Podcast: Transformation Church
Episode: Audacious Faith: The Access To My Authority // Mustard: The Seed That Can Change Everything (Part 2)
Date: May 4, 2025
Speaker: Pastor Michael Todd
Episode Overview
In this second installment of the “Mustard: The Seed That Can Change Everything” series, Pastor Michael Todd delivers a passionate, challenging message centered on the power and necessity of “audacious faith.” He explores how believers can access the true authority given by Jesus and walks through biblical foundations, practical applications, and real-life testimonies that demonstrate the transforming impact of bold faith. The episode calls listeners to step beyond comfort, embrace risk, confront mediocrity, and activate a faith that impacts lives.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Balance of Expression and Information (01:16)
- Pastor Mike opens by stressing the importance of not just feeling faith but understanding it:
"In all your getting, the Bible says get a what, not a feeling." (03:00)
- Without grounding in God’s word, powerful emotional experiences can be robbed by misunderstanding.
What is Audacious Faith? (09:20)
- Audacious faith is defined as a “willingness to take bold risks.”
- Pastor Mike contrasts “safe faith” with biblical faith that steps “out of the boat” (11:30).
- He challenges the congregation to consider:
“When’s the last time your faith did something bold?” (11:50)
Faith and Authority: The Power of the Transfer (15:05)
- Jesus’ authority is all-encompassing (Matthew 28:18, Luke 10:19).
- Pastor Todd illustrates spiritual authority using the analogy of a bank transfer:
"If you had $562 in your bank account, but somebody transferred you 100,000 and you didn't know, you would still be living like you had $562… The truth of the transfer is it was made, but you just ignorant of it." (22:12)
- Many Christians live below their privileges because they’re unaware of the “authority transfer” Jesus made.
Living Out Authority: The Access (25:30)
- Pastor Mike shares a story about his daughters using his debit card to show how we can boldly move in our Father’s authority, not worrying about the cost or mechanics.
- This illustrates that believers are meant to “walk in the authority that their father has given them.” (27:30)
- Key line:
“Access, authority, audacity. Stop playing scared.” (30:15)
Uncovering, Not Earning, What’s Already Ours (34:00)
- Second Peter 1:3 says everything needed for godliness has already been given by God’s divine power.
- Faith is not something new to get or earn, but to be uncovered and walked in:
“Maybe the Christian walk is less about getting more and more about uncovering what’s already there.” (36:30)
Seven Realities of Audacious Faith (from 38:30 – 60:00)
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Audacious faith attacks apathy (38:40)
- Faith requires action — “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).
- "It's not faith until you add work to it." (39:40)
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Audacious faith agitates average (44:50)
- Bold faith provokes criticism or discomfort in others:
“My audacity to believe God… agitates people who [ask] ‘Who does he think he is…?’” (45:30)
- Bold faith provokes criticism or discomfort in others:
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Audacious faith increases your appetite (49:40)
- Faith is measurable and can grow (Romans 12:3).
- True self-awareness is remembering both your limitations and your identity in Christ.
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Audacious faith accelerates with associates (53:00)
- The company you keep matters.
- "If your friends don't have faith, they might not be able to go where you are going." (53:20)
- True friends are "lifters," not "lids."
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Audacious faith shifts atmospheres (56:40)
- Faithful believers change the environment wherever they go (Matthew 5:14, message translation).
- "If you can walk into an atmosphere and nothing shifts, my question is, what are you carrying?" (57:30)
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Audacious faith makes you an anomaly (60:00)
- Few truly walk in bold faith, and those who do will stand out and receive criticism — but it's proof of their calling.
- "Remember, you're not lonely, you're leading." (61:00)
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Audacious faith advances the kingdom (62:30)
- Every great work of God has required human audacity partnered with divine backing.
- Believers are called to “turn the world upside down” (Acts 17).
Memorable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps
- On what we put faith in:
“You have more faith in Wi-Fi than the Creator… WI-Fi, like God, is something you can't see but you have to believe in. The only way you know it's real is because of the results.” (04:20)
- On safe faith:
"You cannot step out and stay in. Oh, God. You can't be out of the boat and in the boat, Peter." (11:30)
- The authority we possess:
“Jesus has all authority. If you forget 'all,' you will forget that he doesn't have authority just in small sections.” (15:58) “If you don't know that somebody's transferring you $100,000, you don't act like you've got $100,000.” (22:12)
- On responding to critics:
“The impact comes from my anointing and my assignment, not your cosignments. Y'all are waiting for a cosign for somebody who can't call you, and their cosign means nothing if God put His hand on your life.” (19:57)
- Guarding your faith:
“Most of you, if I hired these men to guard this for 8 hours a day and paid them and charged a dollar to come see this, you would think I was crazy… Mustard seed faith looks like [this].” (47:30)
- On being light:
“God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this.” (58:00) "My walk with God oozes out. You might catch me reading my Bible on the lunch break. You might catch me watching a sermon..." (58:45)
- On criticism:
“Criticism from men is proof that God chose you.” (61:00) "You're not lonely, you're leading." (61:40)
- Personal testimony — Coop's Story:
[Pastor Todd brings Coop to the stage, recounting his journey from fentanyl overdose to sobriety]
“All I did was watch you in this church every day. Something came alive in me, and God started doing something in my faith.” (65:03)
Notable Illustrations
- The Glove Analogy (41:00):
- Our lives are like gloves, purposeless until filled with God’s hand.
- The Ferrari/Seed Faith Analogy (46:30):
- Represents how faith often starts small and invisible to others, but must be guarded and nurtured.
Key Biblical References
- Matthew 28:18 — Jesus’ authority
- Luke 10:19 — Authority transferred to the disciples
- James 2:26 — Faith without works is dead
- 2 Peter 1:3 — All that we need is already given
- Romans 12:3 — Measure of faith
- Matthew 5:14 (The Message) — Believers as light to the world
Memorable Testimony: “Coop’s Story” (65:03–71:00)
- Pastor Todd meets Coop, a man delivered from fentanyl addiction after watching Transformation Church online.
- Prompted by the Holy Spirit, Pastor Mike buys Coop replacement sunglasses, leading to a powerful witness moment with a store employee (Alexis).
- Takeaway: Faithful, seemingly small steps can catalyze supernatural results.
Conclusion & Call to Action (72:00–74:33)
- Pastor Todd invites anyone who needs to "put God in the glove" of their life to respond and receive Jesus, reinforcing that this is the first and most important step of audacious faith.
- He closes with a celebratory prayer and encouragement to walk boldly, “shine baby shine,” and live a transformed life empowered by the authority already given in Christ.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [03:00] — Feeling vs. understanding faith
- [09:20] — Audacious faith defined
- [15:05] — Authority transfer
- [22:12] — The “bank transfer” illustration
- [27:30] — Story: daughter and the debit card
- [36:30] — “Already got it” — uncovering, not earning
- [39:40] — Faith + works analogy
- [45:30] — Audacity agitates average
- [49:40, 53:00, 56:40, 60:00, 62:30] — Seven points of audacious faith
- [65:03] — Coop’s testimony
- [72:00] — Call to salvation
Tone and Language
Pastor Michael Todd’s language is energetic, candid, and full of illustrations and real-world applications. He uses humor, direct questions, and vivid metaphors to engage his audience, often breaking into interaction with the congregation. The tone is uplifting, challenging, and deeply rooted in biblical encouragement and exhortation.
For Listeners Who Missed the Episode
This message is a compelling call to step out of passivity, break away from safe, predictable faith, and instead activate the bold, authority-filled faith that Christ has already made available. Pastor Michael Todd’s practical points, personal stories, and biblical grounding make this episode not just inspiring, but a roadmap for living transformed lives that actively ignite transformation in others.
