Podcast Summary: Don’t Fall For The Trap // Triggered (Part 1) // Michael Todd

Podcast: Transformation Church
Date: September 14, 2025
Speaker: Pastor Michael Todd

Overview

This episode concludes the "Help Me Muscle" series with a powerful message from Pastor Michael Todd focused on the importance (and challenge) of embracing God's command for rest—a Sabbath rhythm. Pastor Mike challenges cultural norms of "hustle" and "grind," exposing the spiritual and practical dangers of resisting rest. He calls listeners to embrace a faith-filled lifestyle that includes regular, intentional pauses—for restoration, discernment, and a deep experience of God’s presence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Announcements and the Importance of Shared Opportunity

• Pastor Mike celebrates Pastor Charles Metcalfe’s new book and upcoming series, encouraging the church to support him and illustrating the church’s commitment to create space for others’ callings.
• [02:00] “My goal is to create so much real estate in the kingdom of God under Transformation Church that what God's called you to do would one day flourish in this garden.” — Michael Todd

2. Personal Demonstration: “Resisting Arrest”

• Pastor Mike performs a live illustration of “resisting arrest,” using it as a metaphor for resisting spiritual and practical rest.
• [08:40] “Have you been resisting a rest? In a culture full of grind… have you been resisting a rest?”

3. Faith to Rest—Not Just Faith to Work

• The faith required to rest and trust God is as vital as faith to achieve and work.
• [14:00] “The same faith it takes for you to believe God big is the same faith it takes for you to walk away from that thing… For the next 24 hours, I'm gonna sabbatic. I'm going to take a Sabbath. I'm going to stop touching this…”

4. Noise vs. Restoration

• Many trade one form of noise for another, but rest must restore.
• [16:30] “Most of us are allergic to silence. You trade one noise for a different one… but it does not give you restoration. Rest is for restoration.”

5. Rest as God’s Rhythm, Not a Reward

• Rest is a foundational, God-ordained rhythm—embedded in creation.
• [27:00] “Rest is not a reward. It's God's rhythm… You don't have to work to rest because it's not a reward, it's my rhythm.”

6. Sabbath and God’s Pattern

• God modeled and commanded a rhythm of work and intentional pause (the Sabbath), beginning with creation.
• [33:20] “Man’s first full day experiencing God was the seventh day—which was the day of rest. Could it be that he did not create us on day one because the pattern he would have set for us is work, work, work…”

7. Rest: Standard, Not Suggestion

• Sabbath is not optional; it is a divine, blessed standard for life.
• [39:10] “Rest is not a suggestion. It's a standard.”

8. Rest as the Promised Land

• The true promised land is one of rest, not merely abundance.
• [43:40] “What if the Promised Land is not a place of more… but of rest? That's what true wealth is—when catastrophe happens and you can still rest.”

9. Rest as a Gift—Psalms 23 Insight

• God sometimes forces rest for our protection and restoration.
• [51:00] “He makes me lie down. The only reason that a shepherd would have to make a sheep rest is because they won't do it when it's time to.”

10. Consequences of Resisting Rest

• Chronic busyness leads to depletion, and God may allow breakdowns leading us back to rest.
• [68:30] “If you don't rest, God will let the consequences of your life circumstances consume you until you concede and obey.”

11. Modern Example: Chick-fil-A

• Sabbath principles even lead to unusual blessing in business (e.g., Chick-fil-A's Sunday closures and higher profits).
• [1:12:50] “I don't think it's a coincidence that the founders put in practice a principle that's ancient but actually has dunamis power in our life today.”

12. Consequences for Ignoring Sabbath

• Even land needed rest; God allowed Israel to go into captivity so the land could Sabbath.
• [1:16:30] “Then the land will finally rest and enjoy the Sabbaths it missed…”

13. Two Errors: Overwork & Laziness

• Both perpetual work and perpetual rest are unhealthy; true fulfillment comes from working six days and pausing for one.
• [1:24:55] “So some in here need a revelation of work, while others need a revelation of rest. When you put them together… he restores my soul.”

14. Personal Testimonies: Carl Lentz

• Pastor Mike shares the story of Carl Lentz’s burnout and restoration through enforced rest, offering honest perspectives on the cost of neglecting Sabbath.
• [1:29:10] “He said, Mike, for over a decade, I was tired. I never rested.”

15. Practical Application and Challenge

• Sabbath rest requires planning and accountability—not only a weekly Sabbath but extended periods.
• [1:43:55] “You don't got to give an offering, but you do have to give a day… Plan a day of rest.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Faith & Rest:
  “You don't got the faith to rest. Walk away from it. Do something no one else is doing right now.”—Michael Todd [1:22:45]

• On Sabbath as a Rhythm:
  “It's the rhythm of grace—an unforced rhythm where we should be working from rest.”—Michael Todd [33:50]

• On Burnout:
  “Your children don’t even know you joyful, playful, engaged—because you’ve been tired since before they were born.”—Michael Todd [46:45]

• On Forced Rest:
  “If you won’t rest, God will make you rest.”—Michael Todd [62:25]

• On Business & Sabbath:
  “Chick-fil-A, the third highest grossing fast food chain… is closed on Sunday. Never mind. Chick-fil-A closed on Sunday.”—Michael Todd [1:12:50]

• On Rest vs. Addiction:
  “Some of y'all don't need weed, you need rest… You believe in the power of this plant more than the power of the gift God gave you in a pattern.”—Michael Todd [1:11:15]

• On Personal Boundaries:
  “Your ‘no’ is anointed.”—Michael Todd (quoting Carl Lentz) [1:31:10]

Important Timestamps

• 02:00: Introduction, upcoming series, and the heart for multiplying opportunity within the church.
• 08:40: Live “resisting arrest” illustration leads to message theme.
• 14:00: Rest as an act of faith.
• 27:00: Rest is God’s rhythm, not a reward; Exodus 20.
• 33:20: Creation narrative and Sabbath pattern explained.
• 39:10: Rest as a standard, not a suggestion; practical examples.
• 43:40: Sabbath and promised land—real wealth is rest, not riches.
• 51:00: Psalms 23—“He makes me lie down…” (forced rest).
• 68:30: Warning about consequences of chronic busyness.
• 1:12:50: Application of Sabbath principle in business (Chick-fil-A).
• 1:24:55: Balancing work and rest—Pathway to soul restoration.
• 1:29:10: Carl Lentz testimony—Burnout, restoration, margin.
• 1:43:55: Practical challenge—Plan a weekly Sabbath, an extended annual rest, and stay committed.

Final Challenge & Call to Action

• Plan a weekly Sabbath: “Don't leave without the instructions. Plan a day of rest.” [1:44:00]
• Plan an extended rest: “I want you to plan in your year an extended time of rest… I'm not saying spend money. I'm saying spend time.” [1:45:10]
• Stay faithful, even in the leader’s absence: “What I'm asking you is, keep coming, keep giving… We got messages coming from our own team.” [1:45:50]

Conclusion: The Power and Presence in the Pause

• The pause (rest) is not just for power, but for the presence of God.
• “There is Holy Ghost power in a pause. When you pause, you give space for the Holy Ghost to step in.” [1:46:40]
• The episode ends with a prayer, a call to surrender, and an invitation to experience the gift of rest and restoration in Christ, letting God be the provider.