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Too fast, Trevor. Too fast.
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Here at the Zebra, research shows people would rather teach their kids to drive than search for auto and home insurance.
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I know what I'm doing, mom.
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Or attend a corporate team building workshop.
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Go team. Feel that synergy.
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Or be regaled by Uncle Frank's conspiracy theories.
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They're listening to us right now.
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That's why the zebra searches for you. Comparing over 100 insurance companies to find savings no one else can Compare. Today@thezebra.com we do the searching, you do the saving.
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Shh. They're here.
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Most people would rather assemble a 300 piece cabinet than search for insurance. That's why the zebra search is for you. Comparing over 100 insurance companies to find savings no one else can Compare. Today@thezebra.com.
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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.
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We are in week four of a series we're calling Triggered. We are putting Christ in the middle of our crash outs. It is October, first week. Has anybody had a crash out in the first week of October? I'm not even saying the last month it's only been what, four, five days? Somebody said not yet, but I feel one rising. One of the things that I want everybody to know is that if you don't put Christ in your life in the middle of your life, not a part of it in the center, everything that happens in your life has a chance to send you into a place that gets you to act out of. Watch this. Christ's character. This is why people don't know that we believe God. Cause believing God is in your heart, but your actions really show what you believe. Does everybody understand what I'm saying right now? And there are too many believers crashing out just like people who have no knowledge of God, no reverence for God, no respect for God and no actual experience with them. We got video of you praying and turning your life over and giving away. But yet if somebody does something crazy to you, you, you revert, you turn you, you, you excuse the characteristics that don't look like Christ. And I understand all of us are a work in progress. Amen. I should have got way more amen than that. I said all of us are a work in progress. Amen. Oh, but I believe. Let me be honest with you. Some of my progress in Christ didn't come until I decided. And there are too many undecided Believers, you have not decided. I'm going to actually really do what God says. You felt like coming to church today was the pentacle of your relationship with God experience. And I want to say welcome. Thank you. I love you, and I'm so glad you're here. But at some point, you can come to church and still cuss somebody out. You're sitting next to somebody who did it this week. At some point. At some point, you can lift your hands in worship and still bust it wide open. Okay. All right, y'. All. Okay. All right. Let me get back to my notes. All I'm saying is I've been around too long to watch people declare one thing and deliver another. Do you know anybody that declares one thing and delivers another? Are you somebody who declares one thing and delivers another? You ever met somebody who. Who claims to do something, but at the time of doing it, there is no evidence that they ever did it? Okay, how many of us lift our hands and worship yet we crash out at. Watch this. The littlest inconvenience. The person at the drive thru got your order wrong. Some of y' all need deliverance because, you know, your order was complicated in the first place. Can I get the chicken strip meal, but without the chicken strips? Can you unbread it? But then could you put an extra piece of bread? No coleslaw. And I have a coupon. What? And they have the nerve to get your order wrong. And somehow when you drive back through the driveway because they inconvenienced you. I'm just giving really, really trivial examples. But it goes down to deeper things that my question is, if Christ was judging our daily actions, not our Bible reading, not our prayer plans, not our speaking in tongues, and our God blessed you texts, our lie praying for you texts, but you never pray for them. If he didn't judge any, just it was a silent movie of how you actually lived. Would anybody know that you belong to Christ? The Lord has been convicting me in the culture that we live in right now that I, as a pastor, have to live separated from being a pastor. Just a son. Michael, I need to see what you're doing. If you was not preparing to give a message to nobody, that don't count no more. Now, let me tell you, a lot of your pastors, they count. They devotion is work study. They preparing to tell you something. So they get a little nibble on the side. But this is how you can actually be doing something like this and not have a real relationship with God. Okay, I'm giving too much information I'm being transparent right now. The Holy Spirit told me. He said, everything you do for the church don't count no more. Okay, I want to see how often you pray when it's not about that. How often are you encouraging and generous outside of your tithe and offering that don't count no more. That's prerequisite. You've been believing. Come up off the baby. Come up off the immature. Get into the mature God. I am mature. Okay, now we're only counting the things you give to people who don't go to your church. Okay, see, I'm not saying this is your standard. I'm talking about how the Holy Spirit's convicting me. He said, I want you to grow in me. And that means when I grow in Him, I actually have to mature in him. The scriptures say when I was a child, I thought like one, talked like one, and acted like one. But when I became older. Watch this. This is a key distinction. It says I put away childish things. Childish things didn't disappear. You have to pack them up and put them away. My question is, have you packed up your trigger toys? Have you packed up your petty playmates? Because nobody. Mom's not going to do it. Pastor's not going to do it. Your community is not going to do it. You are going to have to say, I no longer roll my eyes at people when I don't like what they saying. Uh oh, just right there. You're gonna have to pack up the petty. I may not understand it right now, but when you go, you're gonna have to pack. You're gonna have to pack up. Flipping people off when they cut you off. You don't think. We see you. We see you. We see you. And you just pulled up to the church. Stop it. Stop. They're coming, too. Stop. You're gonna have to pack up. Keeping record of wrong for your spouse. Some of y' all are detectives. You have a full log. No. On the 31st, you did cut me off in my conversation. And remember, two days after that, that's when you slept on the couch. And you slept on the couch. And you're going through all of the. But the Bible says love keeps no record of wrong. Yet you got a binder. And I'm just asking us as a church to pack up. What's keeping us in daycare? We are in spiritual daycare. When there is something for us to do in the streets, we're arguing over stuff that don't even matter. We're staying away from people. We're Supposed to be loving. Okay, so today I want to give you a cheat code. Now, when I say a cheat code, there are different people in the room, and there are some people that feel like the word cheat period is a trigger for you. And what I'm saying is, yeah, there are some times when cheating is not permissible, but there are some other times not. Sometimes cheating on your spouse just. Hey, unpermissible. Okay, let me just clear that up. They're like, he said something stopped. Lord Jesus, I gotta always clarify everything. Anyway, There was a time in my life where I used to play video games. And I don't know if anybody remembers this device right here, but this device right here gave me so much joy in my adolescence. Does anybody know what this is right here? This is a Nintendo 64. Some of y', all, I'm so sorry to all of my Gen Z ers and Alphas that did not get to experience the level of excellence. This ain't like the regular Nintendo. We had 3D graphics on this. You hear me? And I know now you're hooked up to your computer, you got your microphone and all this, but here, you had to play with somebody sitting next to you. Y' all got what I'm saying? Like, you couldn't be down the street. We had to ask if Travis could come over. And it was a whole nother level. Usually we had very small TVs. Y' all got these 60 inches, and you got these big old projectors. 12 inches. If you was big time. And you had a 30 inch. Like a 30 inch. It was big as this screen, you hear me? And some of y' all know that there were times that the game didn't work. You know, you had. Some of y' all, don't. These are the games that built character. I sound like a uncle up here right now. For real, but okay. One of my favorite games on this was a game called NFL Blitz. And I was raised in a house with four brothers, and so my mom and dad would let us play video games. And this is one of the crazy things about video games is that in a very testosterone filled house with boys, all of us want to win. And, you know, we didn't have social media at the time. We didn't have anything else to go through. So winning a game was the highlight of our weeks, being able to beat somebody. And this game was powerful. I'm just giving you an education lesson on blitz because it was a blessing. But what ended up happening with this game, it was like. It was like football mixed with Wrestling. And like you could catch on fire. Somebody was anointed making this game, you know, I wish somebody so would catch on fire. Long story short, I remember the day it all changed in our household is that at this game it was about if you could play and pick the right plays. And then one of my brothers came home one day with a little sheet. We've never seen exhibit A before in our household. But he's looking down at it and he's going a B, B. Up, up, down, down, Abb. Up, up, up. And then I look at the screen and the ball launches and it just is a touchdown. And I say, hey, hey. You know when you snatch somebody's remote, that's how you know you was getting beat. Hey, I took his remote. What you doing? Oh, nothing. Next play, Abb. Up, up, down, down. Side, side, side. Down, down, down, up. What is all the tapping? Long story short, I found out that he had a friend at school.
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Here at the Zebra, research shows the average person would rather endure a root canal than search for auto and home insurance.
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Just try to relax, okay?
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Or be trapped in a car for eight hours with toddlers on a sugar high. Or remove a nest of irate hornets. That's why the zebra searches for you. Comparing over 100 insurance companies to find savings no one else can Compare. Today@thezebra.com we do the searching, you do the saving. I think I'll wait inside.
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Too fast, Trevor.
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Too fast.
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Here at the Zebra, research shows people would rather teach their kids to drive than search for auto and home insurance.
A
I know what I'm doing, mom.
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Or attend a corporate team building workshop.
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Go, team. Feel that synergy.
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Or be regaled by Uncle Frank's conspiracy theories.
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They're listening to us right now.
B
That's why the zebra searches for you. Comparing over 100 insurance companies to find savings no one else can Compare. Today@thezebra.com we do the searching, you do the saving.
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Shh. They're here. That had the cheat codes. And they called it a cheat code because back in that day you could not look up on Google or Siri. You had to go buy this book. And at the back of the book it had the cheat codes to the game. I'm about to preach this thing. What if I told you that you've been looking at this Christ thing all wrong? What if the game of life actually comes with a book full of she come? What if you could be sitting next to somebody that's looking at the same game, but you just do one or two different Moves instead of getting ready to fight, you might drop down to your knees. They go up, you go down. And what ends up happening is the very same outcome that they were expecting you receive in your life every time. Because you are playing this game with a book full of jingo. Today, I just wanted to give you a small message that may help shape your perspective. That the Bible is not some boring book that you have to endure. That maybe God put this book on the earth to give you a cheat code for relationships. A cheat code of how to keep your family together, a cheat code of how to actually live fulfilled. And some of y' all are beating the game system down, knowing that this is the only way you've ever been able to see results. Some of y' all are taking your games and controllers and going home. Cause you sick of the world. You sick of playing the game. Some of us are doing things. And God's saying, would you just open the book and learn these cheat codes? So today, I'm just gonna title my message. Have you heard about the cheat code? Cause in that day that my brother beat me, I had a revelation that I had not heard about cheat codes before. Nobody presented it to me. So my first thing to my brother is, who is this friend? Is he my friend, too? Cause if he my friend too, why, why he ain't giving me no little piece of paper? Could the gospel be a cheat code that some of you are gatekeeping? You say that's your friend. You say that's your family. You say you do anything for them except share your faith. Except give them the real answer to why the relationship is not working, except actually share your testimony about how God delivered you from this or the process that you're in right now. And many people are not giving the world, their family members, their friends, the cheat code to life. Watch this. Because they don't know it. You can't give away. So the reason why people come to church and the only person they want to listen to is the pastor, because they think the pastor is the only one that knows the cheat code when. When really we reaching less people. Because if only I know the cheat code, that means I got to be everywhere you are. But the Bible says, go into all the. They not even supposed to come here and get the cheat code. This is where we brush up on the cheat code. This is where, hey, remember, up, up, down, down. This is where I encourage you. You killed it on that play. But this is not where they supposed to come. We supposed to go to them. I'm supposed to carry the cheat code with me and give it away. Give it away. Give it away. Give it away now. I felt that limp Bizkit from 2000 come out of me. But you're not giving anything away because you don't have it. I would dare say that most people who have spent decades in church don't have any of the codes. You playing the game, but you don't know any by memory. And if that iPhone shut down and if that Android don't have no juice, I couldn't barely say it. Andrew. Oh, no, I'm just playing. I'm just playing. I'm just messing with you. You look like an Android user. I. No, I'm just playing. Listen, I love my chair this. Hear what I'm saying to you, though. If the device goes dead, so does your faith. Hear what I just said? If your faith is built on the device and the device goes dead, if you can't listen to Pastor Mike on YouTube, if your Bible app plan gets taken down, where is your faith outside of your device? And today, that's why I'm telling you, I want us to get the cheat codes. Okay, so this is where I want to help everybody understand when I was talking about maturing. This is a message. That's meat that you gotta mature to swallow this. And so I don't want you to think I'm coming at you. I'm trying to give you what the word says so that we can grow up. First Corinthians 14:20. It says, Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. But if you gonna be a baby in anything, be an infant in evil. Some of us are big, full grown in evil, but babies in our thinking, it says, brothers, do not be children in your thinking, be infants and evil, but in your thinking, be. What's that word? Today I'm asking you to be mature in your thinking about what God has left. So the first point I want to give you right now is Christ is the cheat code, period. Jesus Christ is the cheat code. Watch this. To eternity. I just want everybody to understand. If you don't get nothing else right, get Jesus right. If your marriage is ah, and if your. Your walk is ah, and you're like, you're not gonna be able to fix all of those things before you get the first thing right, the first thing you need in your life, period. I don't care if you still smoking, drinking, doing, keep doing it. Just get Jesus. Cause he's the only one that can help you change those habits. He's the only one that can still look at you with love and not judgment and say, yeah, I called. No, I'm not judging you based on that. I do not like what you're doing right there. But come here. You love. I love you so much and I care about you and I need you. And I know you've been in that sexually alternate lifestyle, but I still call you daughter. And I still call you son. And I still call. No, no, no, no, no. I know everybody else is judging you, but I love you. Matter of fact, I made you. And you know what? Before you were formed in your mother's wombs, I had plans for you. And I have plans to prosper you and not to harm you. You did get distracted. But I'm a good daddy. Come on home. I'll put a ring on your finger and a robe on your back. I'll put sandals on your feet. And I'll love you right where you at. But I ain't gonna leave you like that. Cause I love you too much for you to stay right there. I feel the religious spirit. I feel the religious raising up. I feel the peace to. I feel the people that forgot about the grace they needed. When I start talking like that, you'd be like, well, why do they deserve. Hold on, wait. Do you know what we deserve? Any of us? Death, hell and damnation. Do you hear what I'm saying? Like, but grace, but mercy. Christ is the cheat code. If you are not connecting with Christ daily, what you are doing is living outside. Watch this. Of the provided for promise. There's nothing like you having food in the house. And your kids still say they hungry. Now you don't understand this. If you don't got kids and mom and dad. I want to say I'm publicly, I'm sorry for all of the years, but now I get it. I mean, full damn, so hungry. There's, there's, there's tons. Go pick you something. Well, I didn't want that. Oh, that's a different problem. That's a problem of preference, not provision. And I need, I need, I need us to see a lot of us have provision problems. Or we have, we have, we have preference problems that we're calling provision problems. God does provide. But because we didn't want no sandwich, I don't want no turkey and cheese and bread. It's like, oh, so you're not hungry. You're not hungry. You can go to sleep on faith tonight. Be careful. When God does provide, but it's not your preference. That is a sign that we have not matured okay. Because I know there are sometimes as an adult, do you know what I give for a ham sandwich? Because many times in our lives, we lose track, lose focus that Christ has provided so much for us. Grace, mercy, chances. How many of y' all needed more than three chances? Like, if it was like baseball and it's one, two, three strikes, we all be out but God, because of what Jesus did on the cross at Calvary, this is the good news. We can live a free life. So right now, your first cheat code is Christ. If you do not know Christ, don't they do this at the end? I'm telling you right now, if you don't know Christ today, you need to receive the cheat code. If you've been playing with Christ, if you've been living a lukewarm life and you've let money become your God and you've let status and likes, you may be a great influencer that doesn't affect your eternity. Everybody here can know you, and you get before the throne. And he say, depart from me. I ain't. Who? Who? Your mama? Now, I never knew you. At the same point, there are people in here bucking and shouting and all that other stuff. And he gonna say the same thing. He said, you prophesied in my name. You spoke tongues. You delivered people, but your actions, your character. This is why I need all of us to take a good look in the mirror and say, if I'm gonna live this thing out, if I'm not gonna crash out like everybody else in culture, I need to have the cheat code. Who is Christ? You know why he's the cheat code? Because he cheated death. Every other man they lived, and death got him. See, I just feel like preaching like a old school preacher right now. I feel like tuning up. I'm really close. I'm really close from shedding my. But he's the only one that looked deaf straight in the face and said, you will not have victory. And as they were counting them down, one, two, something on the inside of him rose up and he defeated death, hell, and the grave. What are all humans afraid of? He defeated the thing that humans are afraid of. He's the cheat code. You know what else he defeated? He defeated and cheated religion. He was born into the most religious, dogmatic, judgmental society where people's status was based on how much they knew the Torah or the words or the holy Scriptures and how much people had to come to them to be made right with God. So sacrifice your goat and get your clothes writing and wear this and Wear that. And don't eat this and don't eat that. And Jesus was like, all right, that's cool. Okay, cool. Scrap all of that. Just believe in me. No more goat sacrifices. No more paying them your money. No more having to go to them to then get to them, then to go to them. I am the way, the truth and the light. Nobody can get to the fun. I know they've been telling you that you got to cut yourself and circumcise. I know they've been telling you that you got to know all these scriptures and know all these praise songs. He said, scratch all that. It's too complicated. Let me give you the cheat code. It's me. Oh, God. See, this is too simple for some of y'. All. Y' all want to be confused. Y' all come to church to be confused. When Christ made it so simple that it literally doesn't take all of that. You don't have to know the Greek and Hebrew to know free gift. Oh, my God. We don't have to speak the same language for me to say, do you want this? And they why do we make it so hard for people to receive the cheat code? Maybe it's because our self worth is defined by our comparison to them. Me, if I find a sale, I want everybody to know about it. You, if you find a sale, you gatekeeping. Because I don't want nobody to be wearing the same thing I'm wearing on the same day that I'm wearing it. Because, you know, I'm an individual and I don't want nobody. Y' all know what I'm talking about. Could it be that that's the spirit that's running rampant in the church right now? That I can't watch somebody in their process and remember where I was and actually step in and help them? I know they're talking about you online, but let me slide into the DMs and tell you you're doing a good job. What you're doing right now is a step that I had to make. I didn't have as many people following me and watching me and all this other stuff I want to say. I'm praying for you. Do you know what coffee? Do you want a Bible study? I'm going to come meet you. What are we doing? Are we living like Christ? Are we acting like him? I get it. They told you to book the Bible was so you could get to heaven. The religious activity made you a better person. What I'm telling you is the cheat code is not what we do. The cheat code is who we know. It's Jesus. The reason you keep crashing out is because you don't have a real relationship with Jesus. You know, religion, you know, doing. You know, trying to prove yourself and posture yourself when Jesus already says, you're loved. One of the greatest things we miss in Scripture is that the Father approves Jesus before he does any miracles. Y' all remember when his cousin baptizes him and he comes up, heaven breaks open and the Holy Spirit starts speaking audibly according to scripture. And it's like, this is my son in whom I'm. Well, that wasn't an accident. It was positioning before performance. And we want people to prove to us that they deserve the grace of God that we all get for free. Okay, this is too simple. This is the gospel. This is why nobody wants to talk about it. Because it's unfair. The gospel's unfair and scandalous. You can be fine or ugly and still receive the gospel. You can sing or bark like a dog, and you can still do. Y' all hear what I'm saying? The classism, the racism, the I'm better than you, my family, it doesn't matter at the cross and half the people alike. So my gated neighborhood doesn't make me. And my crackhead story to delivered. And Christ follower doesn't make me. No, it doesn't make you better. That's why in the game, the goal is to win. In this life, the goal is to make it in. It's not to win here. It's to make it into eternity and to look like. And that's why all of us are here. Because we know internally there's something that we are missing without Christ. That's why you spend your whole life trying to fill that hole. That's why you go to the bottle. That's why you go to people. That's why you go climb the corporate ladder. That's why you try to make your kids your God. You idolize different things trying to find the Lord you're looking for. And all I'm trying to tell you, he's the cheat code. And some of y' all want it to be harder than that. You want. You want somebody to do Navy SEAL spiritual training before you get on this level? You're an elite group. You're spiritual special calling. Do y' all remember the guy that was on the cross next to Jesus? There was two thieves. And y' all remember them two thieves was standing there and Jesus in his grace, trying to show all of us how scandalous his love is. I done had disciples following me for years, and I'm about to extend to two people who are known criminals, the same guilty criminals, the same grace I gave to all these people. I said, come, follow me. He looked over at one and he said, hey, bro, if you believe in me, today, you'll be in paradise. And he was like, nah, I'm good on you. He said, all right. Hey, bro. And that dude said, yes, yes, yes. Don't really know what you're offering. Don't have time to really deliberate, but yes, I'm taking. Reminds me of video I saw of Conor McGregor. My man's cousin is here. And it was a meme. I don't know if the team got that video. You got that video. Watch this. This is. This is the guy. The thief on the cross, when he gets to heaven. Watch this. This has made me laugh. What happened? Absolutely not. Then? I don't know. I just. I just showed up and I don't know. Just. I don't even know the guy, to be honest with you. He said. He said, I don't know how I got here. I just showed up. I don't even know the guy. I like, think about it. Right now, he's singing Holy, Holy, Holy around the throne. And he had a transformation for maybe two minutes. And some of y'. All. Some of you don't like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is where you mature, because when you have the good news, you wish that all be saved and none be lost, even though the expectation is different from you, because you're held at the standard that you know. So some of you have too much wisdom about God to keep living like you are. They don't know. So you're holding them accountable for a standard that they don't know, but you do. And y' all still little saying you're walking in too much wisdom to be living at that level of ignorance. And I know if this is hitting you right now, it's because the Holy Spirit's coming to convict you. He's saying, y', all, come on, man. Grow up. Christ is the cheat code. That's why he keeps saying to us, hey, come to me, all that are heavy and burdened, and I will give you what I made it easy. My burden and my yoke is easy. Forget all these church people. Forget all these people. Yes, there is a standard I want you to live at, but we gonna walk this thing out. I don't expect you to know calculus in fifth grade. I don't. And let me be honest, I've never Used calculus in my life, but you don't teach me calculus and not how to balance the checkbook. It feels counterintuitive to living. That's what we do in church. So many times we confuse people about stuff they might use. Never. And then we don't make it easy. We don't give them the cheat code. Today I just wanted everybody to know that the reason why some of y' all are crashing out is because you're not using the cheat code. It's Christ. And I know that there's some people wrestling right now because about 15 years ago, I was a Pharisaic Christian. I was one that compared myself to everybody to make myself feel better about myself. So y' all know them people. Like, if you start fasting, you start walking around asking people, when's the last time you fasted? Like, you just started at 2pm and it's 3:30. But somehow pride creeps from your toe and people like, yo, we about to go to the buffet. You going? No. You can't tell there's something different about me. You can't tell what your edge have gotten out back. What happened? Like, has anybody ever experienced pride after doing the thing that God told them to do? Oh, can we be real in here? We're a hot church. Humble opening church. You did what God told you to do and it started making you feel better than. This is what we have to acknowledge first and then kill second because we will crucify the people we're supposed to be saving. Today I'm asking the church to reject religion and embrace grace. Reject religion and embrace grace. Well, if you tell them, if you tell them that God's gonna forgive them no matter what they do, they just gonna keep going out there and they gonna just keep doing it. They doing it anyway. Nobody has ever needed a license to sin. But how do people get free if they don't know there's a cheat code? And the crazy thing is, so many of us sitting in this room are wrestling right now because you think this message is for somebody else. But if you knew that somebody's eternity could be changed. But let's. Let's take it to something you like a little more. If you knew that you could tell somebody one thing and they become a millionaire, how many people would you tell? No, I'm talking about unlimited. If literally you could, you could tell anybody. And if all they did was text MILLION to 828282. Now, if anybody wants to do that, we will receive what God's doing in your life. At this church. But if you text million to 828282, I prophetically feel that. Hear me. How many people would you tell your family, no, I need y' all to answer me. Would you? No. If this was a real thing, would you tell your family? Would you tell your co workers, the ones that hate their job, Even the ones you don't like? Some of yalls like I don't. Susan would be broke because. But after you found out it worked a bunch, wouldn't you start telling strangers now that money's not an issue and you don't gotta go to job. You will probably wake up every morning and go tell somebody the good. Now, what if it's been six months? All these people been balling everywhere for six months. Bentley's new hair extensions down to their knees. They got big screens, they got 401k plans. They just join the country club. They okay. And what if six months in one day in everybody's money was worthless? What if the dollar lost all its value? People who were broke, broke, broke six months earlier would lose the sense of identity because what made them feel better about themselves was the value that was attached to paper. And you know what people would have been doing at that moment? Trying to figure out how I can get back my leverage of being better than somebody else. That's what the religious spirit does, is it takes something that's free and still tries to find a way to separate you from me. It's free for all of us, but somehow I gotta be better than you. It's free for all of us. Even the disciples fell prey to this. So Jesus, when you are seated on the throne high and lifted, which one of us gonna get the papa squat next to you? These are the people that walk with him, still trying to figure out, how am I going to be better than you? And we both got the same thing for free. And if there's any piece of you that's gatekeeping the gospel, you're raggedy. I'm looking dead at you. You're raggedy. You're right, you're ratchet. And you're religious. If you are not telling people about the thing that transformed you, that saved your marriage, that brought you back from death to life. You was a mess in the club. Do you know who you used to be? Do you remember those college days? Do you remember being in jail? Do you remember last week? Some of y' all wasn't long ago. Do you remember last night? Ah. Do you remember. Y' all know how y' all start getting if that hand start going up and you mouth open, hand up, knees activated, y' all know what I'm talking about. It's my birthday. I'm trying to bring light in a serious subject. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. When's the last time you shared the cheat code with anybody? And for all of those, that was like, well, just don't tell them that God's grace is that good. It is that good, y'. All. This is. This don't make no sense. No human would do this. We would make people jump through hoops, explain away, publicly apologize. Well, God says, hey, listen, if you believe in your heart, you confess out loud with your mouth. I don't even care if nobody else hears it. I just need you to do this. You repent from your sins. All that means is turn. I'm going a different way. He said, you are going to be started on a path that's going to lead to life. And I'm going to introduce you to my father. And the only way you can get there is through me. I'm the way, the truth and the life, the only one. And he said, when you do this, he said, your eternity is taken care of. Matter of fact, in this world, you're going to have trouble. But take heart, because you got the cheat code. I've already overcome the world. Hey, I know you'll go through storms, but guess what? I'm the prince of peace. He said, I got the cheat code. He said, guess what? You need something to happen on earth. He said, you can pray. And if there are two or three of you gathered in my name, he said, I pop up in the midst what you need, baby. These are cheat codes. But have you heard about it? And the only way somebody can hear about something is somebody's willing to tell them about it. Romans 6:14. Well, then, should we just keep on sinning? That's an immature question. That's a kid question. That's a baby. Because some of y' all be like, all right, got the grace. So I'm gonna turn up this weekend. Has anybody just. Come on. Has anybody pre planned the apology to God? Oh, y' all better stop faking with me. I'm gonna turn up on Thursday, but on Friday morning, Lord, I give myself away so you can use me. So he says, hey, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not. Come on, man. Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live to it? Live in it or have you forgotten this is what we've done, that when we were joined to Christ with Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death too. That means when you join Christ in life, something else dies. So you're not a Christian if nothing dies. Okay, Hear what I just said. I'm alive in Christ. What died? What had a funeral? What did you eulogize? You are not alive in Christ if there is not something else. And some of y' all calling y' all self. Oh, thank you Lord. I'm alive in Christ, but nothing died. You still do everything the same. Oh Lord, they leaving on me. Here we go. For we died and were buried with Christ. Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live. Watch this new lives. The grace is the empowerment to live a new life. Grace is not empowerment to add Christ to your old life. Grace is an empowerment to live an entirely brand new life. Nobody's walked this way before in my family, but I'm no longer going this way. I'm living a new life. I have been the first one out of my whole family that does not need alcohol to make it through the week. I. I'm living a new life. I do not have to end my relationship in divorce. I will be faithful, steadfast, integrous. I'm living a. That's good news. But it's hard to tell somebody if you haven't accepted that truth. Because nobody in this culture wants to be a fraud or a hypocrite. So the enemy's plan is to make you delusional about the grace of God. That you have to be perfect before you can tell somebody that. You have to be a poster child before you can put somebody else on. Y' all know how many people buy clothes in debt and still tell somebody else about the sale? You in the negative. Now, you bought that shirt and that account is red. But that didn't stop you from telling somebody it's three for five. I need another job. But you might have. What I'm saying is the enemy will trick you that you can't share it unless she's performing. And that's religion. Religion says that I shouldn't be up here preaching. Where he go to school? TCC for six months. Six. Nutrition took me out. I ain't lying. Ask my mama. I mean, nutrition almost did take me out. Literally. But also the class took me out as well. My question to you is, where did Paul go to school? He wrote three fourths of the new Testament. See, religion will try to disqualify you. When God's grace will say, hey, just keep listening, just keep obeying. Just keep doing what I tell you to do. And I'll use you. I'll partner with you. I'll stand by you, Church. I'm trying to give you the cheat code today. The reason why you need to read the Bible is because the Bible is a book full of cheat codes. I don't read the Bible so that I can just know more. Watch the switch. I read the Bible so I can do more. It gives me cheat codes. It tells me how to love my wife. How I love my wife. Up, up, down, down. Left, left. Oh, shoot. Like Christ loved the church. What did Christ do for the church? Buy her roses? Oh, shoot. He died. If I ever want to end an argument with my wife, I got the cheat code. Sometimes I don't got. I don't. I don't have the humility. Come on, let's be honest. I know what to do. But I'm trying to figure out, because anytime. Is she right? If I'm right, if she wrong or I wrong, my job as the man is to go die. That's how I saw it in my head. I had to go all the way through. I had to act it all the way out. I'm sorry. Okay? This is. Doesn't matter. Hey, Nat. I don't want us to live in division. And the issue is not even who's right or wrong. The issue is that the enemy wants us not to be on the same page. So for whatever I did. And then I got to name it. Cause y' all know there's apology, love, languages, too. Cause somebody'll be like, sorry. All the ladies, like, for what? Like, for what? Like, that's the first time. Some people. Amen. The whole time. He's a man of God. He's a man of God. Hey, but I'm sorry. Fill in the blank. I'm progressing and trying to become better at communication. I need to become more skilled. I messed up. Would you please forgive me? And would you allow us to have a start, a fresh start for the day? If you need some time, I understand, But I'm lonely when we're not connected. It works every time. Hey, but hear me. See a guy in the back. Clock that C. Clock that C. I see you. I see. Okay. Hear me. Hear me. But the cheat code. While you were yet sinners, while you was doing the wrong thing, he died. With no guarantee that you would choose him. He went ahead and died Guys, I'm saying this because I don't want you to make life harder than it has to be. It's already hard enough living in a sin filled, fallen world. We should be in Eden. Y' all got what I'm saying, like, his plan was Eden everything we need provided nudity, you wouldn't even known as nudity. That's your sinful mind. It would have been regular. I'm just saying, like, think about it, y'. All. The. The whole section took him out. I'm just saying, y', all. His plan. Plan was different. But sin entered. And when sin entered, it made me start covering. And how many of us have been covering? You covering from your kids? And they're going through the same struggles you did in your 20s, but they don't even know who you used to be because you keep hiding the transformation that God's done in your life. You won't tell them that you struggle. You're so prideful that you won't. You won't share the good news. If you won't share the good news with anybody, please share it with your children. I tell my daughters often, they in these services, your daddy used to be terrible. I would never want you to date somebody like your daddy back then. They see who their daddy is. There's fruit of that. But I gotta tell them it was only Jesus. It was only our rabbi, our savior, our Lord, our king, our friend, our father. He has a name, and it's the name above every name. And it's at that name that every knee one day will bow and every tongue will confess. His name is. Say it with me. He's our cheat code. Standing all over this place. Have you heard? I know people are about to run out of here, but maybe this might be the most important part of the service where I ask every person under the sound of my voice, have you heard, have you heard about a man who became the worst parts of us to save all of us? He is the cheat code. And today, if this service was for one person, 1,000 people, 1 million people, if just one person gets to hear the good news that saved my life, if you get introduced to the. Up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up. See, his code is just up. All you do is, even if it looks like it's down, it's gonna be up. It's like the song said, it's not over until he says it's good. If you're in this room and you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior on the Count of three, I need the church to start praying. If you're watching online, I don't care if you're a streamer. I don't care if you're an influencer, influencer. I don't care if you're in fashion. I don't care if you're a movie star. I don't care where this link has found its way. I don't care if you're about to go on the football field right now and you're about to perform in front of thousands of people. God wants a relationship with you. And today, if you want to choose Jesus, today, I want to introduce you to the cheat code. He's the one that took me from being a liar, a manipulator, somebody who was addicted to pornography, had very dark things in my heart. And he gave me an opportunity to receive grace that I did not earn. And I don't gatekeep on the grace that I needed. I don't care if you're in an alternate lifestyle. I don't care if you've run away from faith. I don't care how many YouTube videos you posted about God is not nothing or posted about me. I want you to receive Jesus. It's all worth it if you meet the man who transformed my life. If you're in this room or you're online, if you want to receive Jesus, on the count of three, just shoot your hand up in the air. This is not something you have to be hiding. The Bible says, I will not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation. Romans 1, 16. This is why I gotta tell everybody. Well, you don't look like a pastor. Good. So now I can talk to people who don't think I'm a pastor, and I slap them with this gospel. Hear what I'm saying to you. Know that Jesus doesn't care where you are today, but he wants to be in your today with you. But only through your invitation. One, you're saying, I want to make Jesus my personal Lord and Savior. Two, your name is going to be written in the Lamb's book of life for eternity. Three, if you want to accept Jesus, would you lift your hand in this place? I see you right there, my brother. I see you. I see you. There's a whole family back here. I see you, my brother. Come on. I see you, sister. Transformation Church. Let's celebrate. People of finding Jesus. Hey, listen, we're a church, y'. All. We'll be gone in three minutes, but nobody leave right now, just. Everybody just stop. Listen to me. We're a family, and we always pray together for the benefit of those who are coming into the faith. Okay? So nobody's alone. Would you just lift your hands right here and say, God, thank you for sending Jesus just for me today. I give you my life. I repent from my old ways, and I turn to you. Change me, renew me, transform me. I'm yours forevermore. In Jesus name, Amen. Hey, can we turn up in this building right now? They got the cheat code. Welcome to the family. Hey, listen, if you text saved to 828282, we want to send you some resources. We want to know about it. We want to celebrate with you. And this is the last thing I'm going say. Let us be a church that has the response of the woman at the well. Y' all remember when the woman was at the well and Jesus came and met her in the middle of adultery, in the middle of sleeping with somebody else's man, in the middle of needing deliverance. And when she was transformed by the grace of God, her first response was not to Gatekeep. Do y' all know what she did? She ran back into the town and said, come and see a man who told me everything this week. May you remember the grace that God met you with at the whale. May you not look at anybody, no matter what you can see from the outside, and think that somehow we've. We've eclipsed being the hands and feet of Jesus. Today, we will share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
C
Thank you for joining us today. If you said that prayer and accepted Jesus into your heart, it's the best decision you could ever make. We want to celebrate with you, and we have some tools to help you on your journey. Text saved to 828282 and to find out more about TC see text connect to 828282. Be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your friends. Thanks for listening. Now go out and live a transformed life.
Podcast Episode Summary
Episode: "Have You Heard About The Cheat Code? // Triggered (Part 4) // Michael Todd"
Date: October 5, 2025
Host/Speaker: Lead Pastor Michael Todd
This episode, part of the "Triggered" series, centers around the idea that following Christ is the "cheat code" to life. Pastor Michael Todd explores how Christians often fail to live differently from the rest of the world, crashing out when triggered, and connects this pattern to a lack of maturity and true Christ-centered living. He uses the analogy of video game cheat codes to illustrate how the Bible and a relationship with Jesus offer believers strategies ("cheat codes") to navigate life’s challenges, mature spiritually, and share hope with others.
[01:00 – 05:30]
"If Christ was judging our daily actions... just a silent movie of how you actually lived. Would anybody know that you belong to Christ?"
— Michael Todd ([04:35])
[05:30 – 10:30]
"Have you packed up your trigger toys? Have you packed up your petty playmates? …You are going to have to say, I no longer roll my eyes at people when I don't like what they saying."
— Michael Todd ([06:10])
[10:30 – 17:50]
"What if I told you that you've been looking at this Christ thing all wrong? What if the game of life actually comes with a book full of cheat codes?"
— Michael Todd ([16:32])
[17:50 – 26:20]
"If the device goes dead, so does your faith. Hear what I just said? If your faith is built on the device and the device goes dead, ...where is your faith outside of your device?"
— Michael Todd ([18:53])
[26:20 – 33:15]
"If you don't get nothing else right, get Jesus right."
— Michael Todd ([27:30])
[33:15 – 39:20]
"He cheated death… He’s the only one that looked death straight in the face and said, you will not have victory."
— Michael Todd ([35:44])
[39:20 – 50:00]
"If there's any piece of you that's gatekeeping the gospel, you're raggedy... If you are not telling people about the thing that transformed you...you're religious."
— Michael Todd ([49:28])
[50:00 – 57:00]
"You're not a Christian if nothing dies."
— Michael Todd ([53:40])
[57:00 – 61:00]
"If I ever want to end an argument with my wife, I got the cheat code...my job as the man is to go die."
— Michael Todd ([59:15])
[61:00 – End]
"If you won't share the good news with anybody, please share it with your children. I tell my daughters often, your daddy used to be terrible...It was only Jesus."
— Michael Todd ([63:11])
On the simplicity of the gospel:
"The cheat code is not what we do. The cheat code is who we know. It's Jesus." ([39:05])
Challenging spiritual pride:
"We will crucify the people we're supposed to be saving. Today I'm asking the church to reject religion and embrace grace." ([44:16])
Addressing hypocrisy:
"You ever met somebody who claims to do something, but at the time of doing it, there is no evidence that they ever did it?" ([03:45])
Cheat code applied to marriage:
"How I love my wife? Up, up, down, down, left, left...Like Christ loved the church. What did Christ do for the church?... He died." ([59:20])
| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:00–05:30 | The disconnect between declared faith and actual behavior | | 10:30–17:50 | Video game analogy: discovering the “cheat code” | | 18:53 | Warning against technology-dependent faith | | 26:20–33:15 | Christ as the essential “cheat code” | | 35:44 | Jesus cheating death and religion | | 39:20–44:16 | Exposing religious gatekeeping vs. grace | | 53:40 | Faith means something in us must “die” | | 59:15 | Practical application: “cheat code” for marriage | | 63:11 | Sharing transformation with children and others | | 65:00–End | Invitation to receive Christ; prayer of salvation |
Pastor Todd closes the episode with an invitation to receive Christ—the ultimate “cheat code”—by praying and surrendering one’s life, and he encourages new believers to reach out for support. He challenges the entire church to embody the grace they’ve received by sharing the good news everywhere, especially with their families, refusing to "gatekeep" the greatest secret to life.
Tone & Language:
Pastor Todd’s delivery is transparent, humorous, and urgent, using modern analogies and practical language to make deep spiritual truths accessible and relatable.
Summary prepared for those who did not listen: This episode is not just a sermon—it’s a passionate call to rethink your relationship with Christ, mature in faith, and share the hope you’ve found with others, all through the lens of understanding Jesus as the "cheat code" to life.