Pastor Mike has a mandate to push us out of complacency! In Week 2 of the Start Sharp Series, God directs Pastor Mike to share a personal word with us all: Strengthen Your Strength. There are areas of our lives that we are already gifted in that God is asking us to stir up and stand strong in. This message will give you confidence to become a student again, come out of agreement with the lies you believed and nurture the greatness on the inside of you. We’re starting sharp by sharpening our strengths this year! #StartSharp #StrengthenYourStrength #gift Scripture References: 2 Timothy 1:6-7 NKJV James 1:17 NIV Proverbs 22:6 00:00 – Intro 05:21 – The goal is to start sharp & stay sharp 17:36 – 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 6 through 7 NKJV 25:32 – Stand strong in your gift and stir that thang up 30:50 – We all have gifts & they all come from God 31:37 – James chapter 1 verse 17 NIV 32:36 – How do I know what my strength is? 1. Natural 35:07 – How do I know what my strength is? 2. Named 37:00 – How do I know what my strength is? 3. Nurtured 40:03 – Proverbs chapter 22 verse 6 41:35 – Greatness is always nurtured 46:55 – What keeps you from strengthening your strength? 47:36 – Romans chapter 12 verse 2 NIV 51:58 – Strength submitted is success. Strength unsubmitted becomes stress. 55:04 – Strengthen Your Strength Prayer Join Transformation Church for our live Sunday experience. Plug into community, engage in live worship with Transformation Worship, & hear a powerful word from God. ABOUT US We Exist to REPRESENT God to the lost & found for Transformation in Christ. This is the vision of Transformation Church, led by Pastor Michael Todd and based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. NEXT STEPS Have you made the decision to follow Jesus? Fill out the form below so we can help you on your journey toward Transformation in Christ: http://transformchurch.us/saved
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hi my name is Charles and I serve here
at Transformation Church as one of the
executive pastors and I want to take a
moment before we jump into the message
just to say thank you first of all for
watching it means the world to us that
you would be a part no matter where
you’re watching from no matter who you
are I’m believing that this message is
going to encourage your faith and
hopefully transform your life if you
haven’t yet make sure you take a moment
subscribe to the YouTube channel not for
us but really for you we want to be a
resource to encourage your faith and be
with you on this journey of following
Jesus again thank you so much for
joining us enjoy the message today I
hope it blesses you I have a word that I
think is about to shake the foundations
of our church the world and it is
already shaken the foundations of my
life and um I’mma deliver it in 50
minutes I’m I’mma hit you so hard in the
next 50 minutes that you’ll be able to
walk out in the snow and not even feel
[Laughter]
cold yeah yeah that’s that’s this one
about to somebody shout at me start
sharp start Shar how many of you have
started something this past week this
first week of the year that you know
you’ve been needing to do but you
actually started something come on let’s
go okay there are some people in here
with their hands like you was about to
lie and I thank you for being honest in
this church because we’re a hot Church
we’re humble open and transparent what
I’m saying is yes at the beginning of
the year would have been the best time
to start but the next best time is
today somebody say start
start I I feel like there’s a mandate on
me to help people move from
complacency cuz it’s very difficult to
push a a car that is not
moving but if you can just get a little
momentum on the vehicle okay some of
y’all acting like you ain’t never ran
out of gas before I I just I don’t know
where y’all just came from but y’all
better know what type of church this is
how many people have ran out of gas
before and how many people had to push
the vehicle to uh either safe first spot
or a place where you could get some gas
okay I know some of y’all been
privileged all your life your daddy was
like yeah Triple A okay but what I’m
telling you is some of us didn’t have
AAA some of us we had to get in there
and and and if you if you’re from the
Midwest the thing I love about the
Midwest is that if you are struggling
outside there are people here that are
actually stop what they doing and
actually get out and help you I know
it’s not like that on the East Coast cuz
y’all need to be saved in New York and
Boston and Chicago and all that but if
you come to Oklahoma and you’re on the
side of the road all you got to do is
like I mean do it for 3 minutes
somebody’s going to
stop okay and what happens is if you get
anybody with
wisdom what they say is you get in the
driver’s seat open the door and put it
in
neutral and I’m going get behind and
it’s so So Beautiful cuz when one man
gets behind then other people stop cuz
they like I just didn’t want to do it by
myself and so then there’ll be like two
or three other dudes that get behind and
the whole goal is to take you from a
stopped
position to a
starting
position and when you get somebody
behind you to push a little bit it’s
much easier to
steer a moving vehicle than one who is
staying in the same place I come to
submit to you this year the engine
doesn’t even have to be on for you to be
moving in the right
direction this does not have to be like
oh I
feel we just trying to get this thing
out of a stagnant
position and I believe by faith I’ve
been called to push you
today somebody shout at me one more time
start start start start all right
you’ve given me
permission God told me as I started this
um 21 days of prayer and fasting I’m
doing a fast I’ve never done before I’m
not telling you what it is but it is a
struggle
bus um I just feel for what I’m
believing God for in this season I I
wanted to I wanted to um do something
that um that that was an indicator for
me of what I’m believing God
for and as I started on this this fast
um when I when I when I be fasting I be
I be expecting God to speak to me like I
know some of y’all just like the worship
music and stuff and y’all just like
reading your Bible
God say
something like like I don’t care how you
do it you can do it through the Goof
Troop movie my daughters is watching you
can do it through something that’s on a
napkin but speak to
me and the Holy Spirit when I was up
early just praying he said something to
me that he’s never said to me before and
I was like God can I release this to the
church he said I only gave it to you to
live it out and then give it
away he said so today I want you to tell
the church the message I gave you for
2024 this ain’t the word of the year but
this is a prophetic word for you he said
the goal is not to just start sharp it’s
to stay
Sharp and he said and if you’re going to
stay s Michael there’s some things I
need you to revisit and I was like okay
go what I need to revisit what I need to
read what I need to do new what do you
want me to do anything you want me to do
Lord I’ll
do and he said very simply Michael I
want you all of 2024 this is the title
of my message and I want you to write it
down he said I want you to strengthen
your
strengths I said what
he said the things I’ve already made you
strong in get
stronger I said hold on wait God I
thought I’m supposed to be strengthening
my weakness he said no I do
that y’all missed it he said I will be
strength in your
weakness but you have a responsibility
to strengthen your
strengths and I said what you mean he
said everything that you think you do
good you can do
better I said what you mean he said
every time you
speak you do it for a living people know
you for that can you get better at
it I said hold on Holy Spirit what you
saying I thought you gave me the
messages he said I did but I don’t want
you to preach for an hour and a half no
more I want you under an
hour I
said but some of my examples Lord some
of the things that help the people of
God he said you can do everything if you
strengthen your strength
okay he said if you know it backwards
and forwards if you get in it earlier if
you take out the stuff that is fluff if
you actually get in that thing and and
rehearse it before you do it don’t just
go off of your Raw Talent if you would
just strengthen your strength and I’m
being this transparent cuz you going to
watch me do it in front of you all year
okay see I’m not scared of nobody
because for me to actually live this out
I got to live it out and some of you are
scared to strengthen what God has given
you because you’re scared of failing
failing is a part of
it the only way you can strengthen
something that you’ve already had a
confidence in is you have to become a
student again and some of you are too
proud to fail
again ooh I’m already in my
bag oh oh you thought because your
business was
successful you can’t strengthen
it oh you thought because you already
got a good marriage y’all couldn’t get
better
communication and the way that you do
that is by looking at other people who
don’t have what you have and wish what
they had and makes you laxidasical on
what God gave you
okay how we going to start sharp and
stay sharp we’re going to strengthen the
things that God has already given us to
do
okay
uh what would
happen if everything you’re at a six or
a seven
at you became three levels better
at emly what would happen if the
organizational skills that are already
up here yeah notched up two more notches
how more efficient could you be H how
many more people could you help if you
just
organized no I know I got some shoes to
give you somewhere I know I got some
shoes to give you somewhere I know they
somewhere hold on maybe they at the
storage maybe at what if
you didn’t do spring
cleaning but you did right now
cleaning and the stuff that you ain’t
never going with it ain’t ever fit you
and won’t ever fit you let’s be
honest
what if what
I in in in my life the first thing that
I did to start this up is I went to my
closet and I have
witnesses I gave
away so much
clothes so many shoes I’m talking about
with tags on them name brand everything
you think the gave them all away and
somebody’s like why are you doing this I
said I need less to
manage
you want a blessing I need
less because I need more room to do what
God’s called me to do organizing all of
this stuff is not making me
better okay what happens when the
blessing becomes a
curse somebody say I’m going to
strengthen my
strength now I want you to start
thinking what are your
strengths what are the things that you
have just discounted As Natural for you
oh yeah I
just that God said that’s the thing I
want you to become better in this year
we’re always going to have a
weakness that’s why we need Grace that’s
why we need God that’s why we need to
actually be but what if you became a
better graphic designer this
year what if you actually thought about
what you were going to say before you
said
it uhoh uhoh I’m in too many people’s
business right now what just just what
if you actually made a budget this
year and you st somebody got so
convicted they started coughing over
they almost threw up over
there yes you got out of debt but you
haven’t been able to
invest so you keep throwing up out of
debt since
2014 10 years ago
and I’m saying great but what
else where where does the next level
come from and the Holy Spirit convicted
me so hard Michael he said he said to me
he said Michael I’m expecting more from
what I gave
you that one song in
1996 was not why I gave you that gift
that that that that that one piece of
clothing you put out is not why I gave
you that creative
eye and and many times when we don’t
create we
critique the reason why everybody is
commenting and critiquing and talking
about everything everybody else is doing
is cuz they ain’t doing what they
supposed to be
doing I don’t have time to comment on
your Exel or your
fail cuz I’m in here strengthening my
strength okay okay all right some of you
like my Pastor Mike strengthen my
strength okay let me give you some
synonyms for strength you need to build
up enhance enlarge establish your gift
extend your gift heighten your gift
heighten and increase intensify
invigorate reinforce set up Step Up
support sustain and toughen the thing
that God’s already placed on the inside
of you
okay who would you be if you
strengthened your
strength many of you would be the leader
and not the
follower many of you would be the
lender and not the B borrower the Bible
says that he has given us the ability to
produce
wealth but many of us have not
strengthened the thing that we can just
do you’ve been working on 17 hobbies
that will never produce for your
family you’ve been doing things but God
has given us some inherent gifts that I
believe that this year we’re supposed to
strengthen what if you leveled up in
love I was reading this book the other
day nonviolent communic
ation why was I reading this book
because I have a way of
talking the people who really know me
know
me that doesn’t have much
uh doesn’t have much cushion around it I
just want you to know what I actually
mean that don’t work well in
marriage I talk for a living yeah but
direct communication to you gets me
sleeping on the couch with
Natalie so what am I going to do I’m not
going to say well I’m a man I’m a grown
man I’m no I ordered a book off of
Amazon and got Scott
one am I telling the truth Scott got one
too
why cuz I have to strengthen what others
call my strength but I know there’s
still an area for me to improve m
[Music]
in what if you maximized the
marriage what if you didn’t need the
marriage counseling cuz y’all really
worked on it and you could help young
married
people some of you have never even seen
yourself in the position of giving it
away cuz you’re so broken and messed up
right
now but what if y’all made a decision
the next five years we going to figure
this thing
out I’mma figure out how to be romantic
and I don’t like being
romantic no okay this is going to take
you being
honest with what you have already
resolved ain’t
you this just me it don’t have to
be this just me it does not H I was so
convinced I was going to be fat and big
my whole
life that I started to tell myself it’s
just
me give me a 3X give me a 4X I’mma eat
the whole Buffet do they got a buffet is
it all
inclusive this was my L it’s just if we
going to live we all going to die these
are things
that might as well
enjoy but at some point I had to make a
decision to divorce the thing that I
already had made a contract
with and some of you cannot move forward
into what God has because you’re going
to have to break the
contract with the lie you’ve
believed you’re going to have to
strengthen your strength say it with
faith strengthen my strength strengthen
my
strength can I give you another word for
strength
gift your strength is your
gift it’s a gift from
God name for me a couple of things that
you know was a gift from God you didn’t
even have to work hard from it come on
some of y’all just what is it talking
humor what is it leading come on
somebody talk to me what’ you say
Charisma Charisma just when you walk in
the room you don’t never meet a stranger
everybody love you taking you out want
to introduce you today Mom it’s just
a could I could I submit to you that
that
gift that maybe has been diminished as
just a part of your
personality is actually a strength that
God wants more out of to be used for his
glory second
Timothy chapter 1 verses 6 and 7 I want
to introduce you to a young man named
Timothy who has been given some gifts
but comes up against
opposition and he writes to the OG
Paul and if anybody doesn’t know what OG
g means it’s Original
Gangster it’s just a term of endearment
for somebody who’s been in a game a
while and understands the
pathways of what somebody else may be
going through and Timothy is a young man
who has been judged because he’s so
young doing big
things and he was a young man and he was
like I don’t know what to do with all
these people and d d d and he writes to
Paul and Paul writes back to him and
this is what he says to him in verse six
he said therefore I remind you st stir
up the
gifts of God on the inside of you yell
out stir up the
gifts that’s great he says I’m reminding
you to do something with what’s already
there I didn’t say go find a
gift I did not say go copy a
gift I did not say go and get a mentor
that can possibly lay on you a new gift
he said stir up the gift of God which is
in
you somebody say it’s in me it’s in me
he said stir up the gift of God which is
in you through the laying on of my hands
he said I already approved that these
were gifts on the inside of you I
already confirmed this why are you
doubting what you know God gave
you so you need to be reminded to Stir
It Up for God has not given
us a y’all didn’t know that scripture
was
there our whole Christian Life we’ve
been quoting that separate from the
first part you’re scared oh no no God
has not giving you a spirit of
fear but a power Love In A sound
mind put it in
context stir up the gift of God inside
of
you it’s already in you and I confirmed
it by laying on my hand hands I don’t
know if I should do that God has not
giving you a spirit of
[Music]
fear to walk in your gift fear would
keep you from doing that well what would
they say and nobody in my family’s ever
done that and what if they don’t accept
me God has not giv you a spirit of
fear well I don’t know how to actually
and I’ve never gone to school for this
and I God has not given you a spirit of
fear but of power love and a
what he said for you to actually
maximize your gifts you need to not be
scared no
more I didn’t say scared I said
scared some of y’all so
scary of the thing that God’s already
confirmed in you Natalie God has created
you to be creative come on don’t be
scared of stepping out and doing what he
told you to
do there is nobody that can stop you
when God put the gift on the inside of
you
this year I’m about to release so much
music oh yeah
y’all God should not have gave me this
word I’m pigeon to talking like this he
should have not given me this word cuz
one thing I know if I don’t know
anything else that I’m strengthened to
be creative through music it don’t
matter if you don’t like
it cuz the goal is not for people’s
appreci ation it’s for
obedience you missed it and so many of
us have capped our gifts because we want
it to work in Man’s
eyes but what if the gift was just to
bring him
glory what if he put it in you to get it
out of you so that it could be there’s
somebody that’ll do it for 20
likes and they’re content and they’re
faithful I’ll bless them another way
this don’t got to make
money God
this don’t got to be the thing that pays
for the we’ll pay for the house a
different way will you be
obedient to release what I put on the
inside of you somebody say stir up the
gift oh I feel I feel it
okay let me bring some context to to you
in this because when Paul the OG was
talking to Timothy he he was working in
his gift as a
pastor and this is how we extract truths
from the Bible where everybody got to be
a pastor to be working in your
gift but we can get the principles that
God is trying to sare us he said he he
said this young pastor’s doing it but
but but he was a young man he came up
against opposition well lets me know a
couple of things number one God does not
have a age limit to a
calling I just need to talk to everybody
under the age of 25 stop
waiting stop listening to these memes
that say in your 30s that’s when you
build and in your 40s that’s is when
what if God called called you to do it
at
18
okay I am at a different place in my
life because I heard the call when I was
still a teenager that’s right and I
started doing things that other people
wasn’t doing that didn’t make no sense
and didn’t give me any
money can I just say this some of y’all
want to get paid so bad you’re missing
the place of your
purpose you’re calling everything
manipulation and somebody’s using you
and all that other stuff no dummy you’re
not good
yet okay
uh maybe you’re good at the skill you’re
but you’re not good at
people every training place is not for
you to be in
charge I can’t tell you how many places
I’ve been where my title did not even
matter it was what I was getting more
than what I was giving
it was a blessing to get anything at
that moment when I started running sound
at this church I was getting paid $35 a
week that wasn’t enough gas money for
the 15 passenger van I had
borrowed to get there it’s a story for
another
time but it’s true it’s
true but what I what God was teaching me
at that sound booth getting $35 an hour
being there from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00
p.m. it’s
faithfulness you can’t put finances on
faithfulness the way that I’ve learned
to show up when nobody shows
up came from me having to be the first
one there me and brother Glenn I don’t
know if brother Glenn is still in here
but he serves on our Usher commit right
now me and brother Glenn would be the
first people and he would turn on the
lights and I’d be down there praying and
rolling up mic cords and I learned
faithfulness because God said yeah you
good at music and you good at talking
but you’re not good at
faithfulness so I need to strengthen
that cuz for what I see 10 years from
now you’re going to have to be faithful
when people
leave you’re going to have to be
faithful when they run off with a
narrative that ain’t true you’re going
to have to be faithful to me like like
like no matter what
happens so I got to teach you something
that you can’t learn on the
platform
okay today I just came very simply to
tell you stand
strong in your gift and stir that thing
up that’s it all year if you not getting
better some of y’all need to go back to
lessons
you used to be able to play the piano
and now every time you play the one same
song and everybody’s like you can play
the piano oh I used
to used to and you killing that one song
used to really you know really take
there’s songs that God gave you there’s
songs that he wants you to write but for
you to be able to get it out in the
spare time that you have between the
three kids that you have you’re going to
have to get more
efficient so you need to go take
lessons I ain’t paying for no lesson
cool stay on the level that keeps God
from doing what he planned to
do it’s not God at this
point there are certain things that I
know I have to do I have to be diligent
and dedicated and faithful to to get to
the place where God can release what is
already in
me
strengthen your strength Pastor Mike
what are some strengths
Administration
discernment exhortation encouragement
Faith giving is a strength yes I’m not
just talking about money some of y’all
God gives you stuff to give it
away decide in your heart this year I’m
GNA give more than I’ve ever
given I told my wife what we giv in
Crazy Faith offering next year this year
for that to
happen God’s going to have to give seed
to the
Sewer let me
be but I already decided he said
strengthen your strength I’m going to
give the most
outrageous thing that anybody I don’t
know nobody in my family that’s giving
this much to
anything I want to be the
first God would you bless me to a place
could you could you open my ears enough
could you give me ideas and witty
inventions could you could you put me in
the right investment could you show show
me who to connect with would cuz it’s
already made up in my
heart this year I’m going to strengthen
my strength of giving the gift of
healing do y’all know what another gift
is that some of y’all discount the
gifting of
helps it’s literally in the Bible people
are gifted to
help that’s great and you be like I’m
just the only one out here doing this
ain’t nobody else
helping the reason it’s a burden for
you it’s cuz God gifted
you and he said instead of being mad at
them come up with a training
course to help people that
help okay y’all not hearing me
yet gift of leadership how you had a
gift of leadership and you always on the
bench no no no I need I I just need I
just need to talk to you cuz you you
know you’re a leader and anything you
step into people
gather anything you do and you put half
a effort into it seemed like 10 times
better than everybody else but all you
do these days is sit on a bench and
judge all could have scored that M you
don’t play no
more you’re
retired and we say that for people who
are athletes and in sports but there are
so many retired Christians
oh you don’t serve no more you don’t
help no more we don’t even know what you
used to do you used to do this stuff you
used to run stuff you used to prophesy
you used to create and all you do now is
bring coffee and say
hello you think that it’s a privilege
that you showed
up and to us it is but to God he’s
disappointed he put all of that in you
and you give it to Fantasy Football
effort
energy and I’m not saying anything’s
wrong with fantasy football if you have
the margin to do that yeah yeah yeah
yeah but that’s on that that ain’t going
to get you nowhere with what God told
you to
do I am offending you should see the
faces that are looking at me right now I
don’t care either cuz I’ve been sent on
a mission to push you into the place
that you got to get to
you need to strengthen your strength
Paul tells Timothy stir that thing
up it’s in you stop complaining about
what they don’t got and who’s leaving
and what stir what I put in you
up write this down teaching is a
gift wisdom is a
gift we all have gifts and they all come
from God
P I don’t I don’t think God gave me no
gift stop it it might have been
crushed your gift may have been devalued
by from somebody who was threatened by
it your gift may have been
mislabeled but somebody say I have a
gift
I you got a gift got a gift your gift is
not just mothering
that that may be a part of your maternal
Instinct get you but there’s some other
stuff he’s giving
you that you’ve been discounting that
God is counting
on I’m going prove it to you James 1:17
every good and perfect what does it say
gift is from above coming down from the
father of the Heavenly lights who does
not change he has not changed his mind
about your gift yeah he doesn’t change
like other people and I hear some of you
saying right now Pastor Mike how do I
know what my strength is three things
very simply okay H how can you identify
your strength cuz some of you like
really thinking right now and I want you
to do that I want you to start going
back and some of my seasoned Saints the
older people the gift does not expire no
it
doesn’t some of y’all think cuz you got
grandkids now it’s time for you to sit
down the gift that God do y’all know
Abra DN how old he
was when he started do do you know how
old Sarah was giving
birth my mama say she was
old how do I know what my strength is
it’s something that’s natural
yeah these are the gifts that come easy
to you but are harder for
others what comes e what’s
natural my sister Abby she naturally has
the gift of
hospitality like literally I could tell
Abby text her hey I’m at the door I’m
coming to drop something off for Charles
she’ll open the door with a plate of
brownies I was like when did you have
the time oh I was just Cooking Brownies
the Holy Spirit told me you cooking
brownies and I’m like I mean she had
showed up at my house for a meeting with
brownie mix eggs and soft butter in her
purse to make brownies with my
daughters how did you even know we had
the stuff and she was like well if you
didn’t brought it and pulled out
eggs I can’t make this stuff up but it’s
the thing that comes
natural my wife Natalie she is naturally
caring like she be caring so much that
it get on my
nerves like Mike don’t make them I like
make them we paid to be
here she be like be quiet the other
people’s experience this my seat
I can say whatever I want to right she
just thinks about everybody else I was
like think about us think about
me care for
me but caring for her comes
naturally my brother
Aaron he has a gift of paying attention
to
details one room
any room this room if we walk into a
room together he in 3 seconds knows
where all the exits
are no no no I’m not even like he knows
where all the exits are he knows when
people move he knows who came in at what
time I’ll be like hey bro what time is
it he was like well when you got in here
it was 7:26 and then when you sat down
I’m like what in the world but he
naturally yeah yeah yeah pays attention
to details that’s why he does my Edge up
and
that is a somebody say gift or a
strength so how do you know what your
gift is it might be natural let me give
you one more another way that you know
what your gift is it’s
named these are gifts that loved ones
and strangers can identify in
you people start naming things like like
like
okay I told y’all a second ago I’m
naturally I was naturally good at music
like I didn’t take lessons I didn’t do
it but I could hear I could put stuff
together I could all that other stuff it
took prophetess Pam Vanette when I was
living
backwards to call me up to a stage in
Broken Arrow Oklahoma on 145th and she
said you are going to be a pastor and I
laughed at that woman in her
face she said I know it sounds crazy I
have the prophetic word on tape she said
I know it sounds crazy but you’re going
to use the
humor and the irony and people’s real
life situations and you’re going to
explain the word of God to people all
over the world and she said in your
ministry won’t just be to young people
you’re going to minister to people all
over the world and I’m literally sitting
there like
she
[Laughter]
drunk and over and over there have been
many women of God who’ve come to and
they named it I don’t I don’t know I
know you do the music but you’re going
to be a pastor there’s going to be tons
of people that and and and and for years
I denied
it you don’t know me you don’t know what
giftings God gave me and that’s why you
need people around you because sometimes
they can see things you
can’t some of y’all have been so so
isolated that the things you need to be
named in your life you haven’t let
nobody in to be able to speak to that
thing so so so so so they can be natural
they can be named or watch this they
have to be
nurtured great how are your strengths
going to get stronger they got to be
nurtured these are gifts that have been
watered by your environment
encouragement and effort wow great
that’s great I said your
environment encouragement
and what some people have stopped
considering what God gave you a gift cuz
it was never nurtured yeah it came to
you natural and it was never nurtured
and so there are people who are better
than you and further along in it and so
you don’t think it’s a gift anymore and
God says all you got to do is put a
little water on
that for everybody else they got to go
through all this other stuff but if you
would just put a little water a little
faithfulness a little consistency a
little intention it on that it would
grow exponentially in other words I’m
saying to you what Paul said to Timothy
Stir It
Up Stir It Up your career may not be
your
purpose that’s a tough one to swallow
cuz you’ve given 17 years of schooling
to
it you going to be paying Fanny May for
the next 30
cuz of what somebody planted in your
mind that you should be but you seem to
can’t find no satisfaction in it you’re
a lawyer by day and a DJ by
night y’all know it’s the truth you at
Guitar Center buying all this stuff
ain’t reading no law
books cuz it there’s no burden for
it but now you have
responsibilities and so so how do I get
from the place of responsibility to the
place of purpose and doing the thing
that I feel like God gets Glory out of
my life that means you’re going to have
to put in
effort that means you’re going to have
to optimize the things that you’ve been
doing that don’t yield fruit and you’re
going to have to do the things that God
tells you to do and this is when I talk
about nurturing your gift parents I need
to talk to you for a
second because the things that annoy you
about your kids are usually gifts and
disguise
the very thing you can’t stand about
them the very thing that gets on your
last nerve they be tap dancing on your
last nerve why you always asking so many
question because God gave
them a gift of
discernment and every time they talk
they finding you
out uhoh and you can’t stand it cuz they
know you’ve been lying about never mind
but what I’m telling
you is our primary responsibility as a
parent is to
nurture the
gifts of God that is on the inside of
them can I give you’all a revelation
that I got today Proverbs 22:6 it’s a
familiar scripture but I want to read it
with the backdrop of knowing that we
have to nurture the gifts of our
children it says train your children or
start your children off in the way that
they should go and even when they are
old they will not depart or turn from it
I’ve only heard Proverbs
22:6 in talking about disciplining your
children train the child in the way they
should go that’s why I beat
him why I beat him my mama beat me my
grandama beat her and we going to just
be a beating family we beat we on the
beat but what if for just a second we
took it from the
context of punishment yeah and we put it
in the context of
purpose and God says I put some gifts on
side of this little child that are
unrefined and I’m giving them to you I
need you to train this child nurture
this child strengthen their strengths
encourage them in the way that they
should go Hallelujah so that when they
get old and are presented with
opportunities and career choices and
people to distract them that they won’t
depart from the purpose the gift the
strength that I gave him that’s
Revelation right there y’all I’m telling
you what
if it’s about stirring up our gifts
somebody say Stir It Up s up greatness
is always
nurtured Tiger Woods Serena Williams
David Beckham Venus Williams Payton
Manning Eli Manning Michael Jackson
Justin Bieber Whitney Houston what do
all these people have in common at
something they were great and they all
were told what to do since children
children
on now I’m not saying they stories ended
Good what I am saying is that they
reached the level of greatness cuz they
were
nurtured that’s
right I’m not going to ask you to look
at your kids right
now but what I am saying is maybe just
telling them what they’re not are you
just like your
daddy well hold on he’s not
here he’s
Unfaithful he’s not
intentional and now you’re going to
speak is that how you’re
nurturing
my right now I’m in a nurturing
situation with Isabella
Moni my daughter from from as far back
as I can remember she has been a leader
and a
boss she she’ll tell me what she wants
tell me where she wants it tell me where
to go I I I’ve been calling her a boss
baby before the movie came out before
anything because that little
girl has just this gift of God to to
lead and know what she
wants so when my daughter came to me
when she was five or six years old and
and told me I could no longer go on date
night with her
mother I said Bella why can’t I go on
date night with your mother she said
because every time go on date night I
feel
lonely and I said I’m married to your
mother you’re my daughter and I
explained to her the importance of
having our priorities right in
relationship it goes from having a
relationship with God and having a
relationship with me and Mommy and then
me and Mommy can pour into you and she
said I get it now Daddy and the Holy
Spirit hit me one day he said Michael
you see that your daughter already wants
to use her gift he said I want you to
use your influence and nurture her gift
on I said what you mean he said I want
you to take that situation that happen
with you explaining the relationship
goals to her and I want you to turn it
into her and your first
book and then I want you to put the
money away from that book to give to her
future he said I want you to nurture
what I put on the inside of her so I
told Bella we writing the book she said
when I
said now she’s 7 years old she said when
and so we started working on the book I
told her what was going to happened and
I showed her the book and the the book
actually comes out February 6 it’s
called a cup of love and a it’s called
relationship goals for kids and and I
made a huge mistake y’all see I’m
learning how to nurture if you if you
pay attention to this it says I thought
I conveyed it to the publisher but I I I
I should have over emphasiz it it says
um written by number one New York time
bestseller Michael Todd and illustrated
by Joel Santana when Bella saw this
book she saw her likeness on the
book but she didn’t see her
name and that baby said this book
wouldn’t be a book without me oh look
she y’all I’m not even playing she said
this my book
she said why my name not on the front of
the book y’all I called the publish I
said is there any
[Applause]
way but I didn’t say you disrespectful
you should be
grateful that I got a book with your
name on no matter of fact
I’m I said yes
ma’am I
apologize our next book will have your
name before that is you
know but what am I doing I’m trying to
nurture and stir up the gifts that are
on the inside of her Pastor Mike what
are you trying to
say strengthen your
strengths we in the second Sunday of
2024 Stir It
Up God’s going to start to reveal to you
through prayer and fasting the things
that you have let be dormant in your
life that you have let just sit there
and God’s going to say try to draw again
yes Lord try to
paint go ahead no no no pick up the
guitar uhuh uhuh uh uh uh uh uh uh start
writing the
book no no no no no make the curriculum
no fill out the application you’re going
back to
school no no no no it’s time to stir up
the gifts Pastor Michael I feel
discouraged I have too much Weighing on
me I don’t know where to
start I don’t feel like my gifts are a
strength
anymore the only reason that you don’t
feel like your strength is a strength is
because of these four things write them
down because these are strength Killers
comparison
coveting
complacency and
conforming if you conform to what the
job wants you to be you’ll give up your
gift if you become complacency what God
has given you you’ll give up the gift if
you are cover in what somebody else has
and not being grateful for what you have
you’ll give up the gift and if you are
stuck in
comparison you’ll give up strengthening
the gift that God has given you it’s why
Roman 122 say don’t conform to the
patterns of this world that’s what they
do all the time but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind then you will
be able to test and approve what God’s
will is his good pleasing and perfect
will today I came to fire up your
gift and for a few people in this room I
came to tell you it’s time to flip the
gift everybody say flip the gift flip
the GI I just need to talk for two
minutes to the people whose gifts have
been
mislabeled you you you you were told
that what you have because it was going
the wrong direction wasn’t from God
when I was a sinner I was still a
leader I was just leading people the
wrong
way and all I had to do was flip the
gift and now there’s people coming from
South
Africa to sit in a service while I’m
preaching I could have been doing it in
the wrong direction for my whole
life but but I flipped the gift that’s
why it’s important to get context to
Bible stories the reason why the OG Paul
could talk this confident to Timothy is
because Paul used to be named
Saul and Saul was the chief
sinner he went from the number one
Bounty Hunter of
Christians
to the number one
contributor to the
Bible and getting the word of God and
the gospel spread throughout all of the
land at the time how do you do that when
you have an encounter with
God and he flips your gift if I could do
a backflip I
would I almost brought a trampoline up
here I was this
close cuz if you could just take
everything you’ve been doing in the
wrong direction and just flip
it God said I can turn what people have
labeled wrong and what people have told
you is a
dysfunction people even right now you’ve
heard I’m introverted no no no no no no
no that that that means you charge by
yourself but that also means you know
how to reach people who charge like
that what if the thing that people have
been labeling is actually your
strength
that means your small group ain’t going
to have a million people in it it’s
going to have three faithful
people and y’all going to love each
other and be there for each other and
then take breaks and be like today let’s
not
talk we’ll meet next week
like what if the thing you’re trying to
get rid of is a thing that God is trying
to stir up
great every gang leader you’re a
gatherer you’re just taking people to
the wrong
place every gossip you’re an
evangelist you just got the wrong
message in your
mouth somebody shout at me flip the
gift everybody that has an
anxiety everybody that is riddled with
anxiety mind can’t stop
racing you’re a prayer Warrior
cuz you’ve proven to us that
focus is not your
problem you just focus on everything you
can’t
control if you would flip the
gift if I was going through something I
would want you praying for me cuz you
going to focus on every detail of my
situation on and you going to take it to
the one who is in
control it’s time for us to
flip the gift
everybody
standing it’s my last Point strength
submitted to God is
success and strength unsubmitted to God
becomes
stress I’m going say it one more
time your strengths your gifts submitted
to
God it’s going to bring you to success I
can’t tell you where I would be right
now if I wouldn’t have brought all of
this that I had to God and say do
whatever you
want he has blown my
mind but by what he’s done with my
submitted gift but a strength that gift
unsubmitted to God become stressed to
you it’s time to stir up the gift and
strengthen your
strength I want to pray for people that
today would be the last day that you
consider what God gave you an
option I’m going say it one more
time today I’m praying that it will be
the last time that you consider the gift
that God gave you an option in your
life I’m praying that it becomes a
burden a
priority something that you make
practical steps this year to strengthen
you’re an actor get in the
play do the thing well ain’t nobody
going to see it this ain’t for them to
see so you can start remembering lines
again you old
now your brain don’t work how it used to
be you need to get your memory back cuz
four years from now the Call’s going to
come the one that’s going to change the
family history but if you don’t
strengthen your strength
now you won’t be able to seize the
opportunity in the time of the
opportunity what if you strengthen the
number of scriptures you know by
memory you know the them six scriptures
that your grand na told
you and they’ve kept you for
years but what if you learn six more
this
year cuz every time you need them they
don’t the the Wi-Fi seem to be not
working I know there’s one in there on
Purity somewhere
Lord what if you write Psalms 119 on
your
heart how does a young man or a young
woman keep his way pure by hiding
themselves in the word of God I remember
when my mama told me that scripture I
needed to recite cuz I was out here
hoing oh can we be
real and we were in the laundry room at
our house on on uh 35th and Yale she
said Michael you need to remember Psalms
1199 and I can’t tell you how many times
I’ve been ready to do something that was
going to take me back into a sin cycle
that I left and that Psalms 119 jumped
out
that’s what the Bible means when it says
I will hide your word on my
heart what if you just
strengthened the thing that you already
have
strengthen today I wanted us to pray
together I wanted to make a strengthen
your strength
prayer and I wanted us to say it all
together I don’t know if they have it
for the screen but if they do if they
don’t I’ll teach there it
is I want us to say this all
together and I honestly want everybody
to be able to screenshot it write it
down we going to put it on all the
social medias and I’m I’m just I’m just
asking all of us every day this week to
say this when I wake up when I get ready
to go to school put it on your mirror
say it with your kids teach it to your
kids but we going to say it like this
let’s say it together say dear God dear
God today I acknowledge today I
acknowledge that I I am gifted I am
gifted
say that phrase by
itself does something to your
confidence let’s start it again dear God
dear God today I acknowledge today I
acknowledge that I am gifted that I am
gifted I pray I pray that you would help
me that you would help me stir up the
gift stir up the gift you have placed on
the inside of
me inside of me let your strength let
your strength be my strength be my
[Music]
strength every
day every
day every day this
year what would
happen and this is why I thank God for
the model he’s given me progression not
Perfection nobody’s about to be be
perfect at this honestly to get better
you’re going to
fail but I want you to come back to this
and just like the OG Paul said to him he
said stir up the gift on the inside of
you so that you can see everything that
God has called you to hands lifted all
over this place father I pray for my
brother and sister as you gave me a
mandate to strengthen my strengths the
things the gifts you put on inside of me
today I’m praying for every person under
the sound of my voice and that will
watch this on re broadcast and will
share it with a friend I’m thanking you
right now that they will stir up the
gifts that you have placed on the inside
of them Father Every Lie they have
believed to leave the things alone that
you put there in the name of Jesus I
thank you that there is an activation
today that their faith would believe
again for the impossible
that father they wouldn’t just clap for
those that are experiencing in their
life but that they would believe that
you could do a fresh and a new thing on
the inside of them to every person over
the age of 45 I declared that there
would be a new fire kindled on the
inside of you that you would not be um
one to retire but refire that in your
old age you would be able to do things
that you were never able to do in a
previous season
and that your latter will be greater
than your
former I thank you that you’re stirring
up the gift and for every person under
45 I thank you that confusion goes away
from their mind right now in the name of
Jesus that they will not be Wanderers
for decades trying to figure out what
you have called them to do that they
will not conform to what culture is
saying but they will get a clear word
from you father let us all have an
encounter with you
that allows us to flip our
gift father no matter if it’s making
money or if it’s helping people we don’t
just want to do what seems successful we
want to do what is successful in your
eyes so father today we’re making a
commitment not to just start sharp but
stay sharp by strengthening our
strengths if you’re in this room right
now and you’ve never accepted the source
of strength
his name is Jesus today I want to
introduce you to my best friend the one
who saved me from being a liar a
manipulator somebody who was addicted to
pornography I done told you all my stuff
I was going the wrong way and leading
people there and God had an encounter
with me and he flipped my gift but it
came when I gave my heart to
Jesus see this is the only religion
everybody prays to a God but this is the
only one where God comes to you and he
says give me your heart and I’ll help
you change your
habits and today on the second week of
2024 there are some people that have
been doing your own thing you’re
watching online right now you don’t even
know why this is on or you came into
this building and God has been drawing
you or the Holy Spirit has been drawing
you this entire time today is your day
of
salvation the first thing that God wants
to flip is your
heart towards him he wants to bring you
from Darkness into light and I’m telling
you you are in the right place at the
right time to actually receive God today
is the day of salvation and we’ve been
praying for you so if that’s you you
want to stop doing it your own way and
you want to give your life to Christ on
the count of three I just want you to
lift your hands one you’re making the
greatest decision of your entire life
two your name is going to be written in
the Lamb’s Book of Life and your
eternity is secure three just shoot your
hand up all over the room I see you my
brother I see you my sister I see you
whole family whole ro oh y’all come on I
see you online just put your hand up I
see you come on glory to
God this is what it’s all about here you
talking about strengthening your
strength you about to level
[Applause]
up at Transformation Church we a family
nobody prays alone so can we all just
lift our hands and lift our voice and
say God God thank you for sending Jesus
just for me just for me today today I
receive his strength
in my life I believe you lived you died
and you Rose again with all power all
power just for me just for me and today
today I Surrender my life I surr I’ll
serve you with all of it all of it
change me change renew me R me Transform
Me transform me in Jesus name amen can
we give God praise for every person oh
come on on Transformation Church they
just got
strengthened
Hallelujah if you just made that
decision and you’re watching this we
want you to just scan the QR code that’s
on the screen and we’re going to help
you we’re going to walk with you next
week I’m on fire y’all I promise you the
message next week we’re strengthening
our strength to another strength level
of
strength you don’t want to miss it and
you want to invite people
and there are people in here that need
to meet us for prayer tomorrow night
y’all there have been over 3 400 people
here every night for prayer y’all yeah
you can clap it up to that and what I’m
asking is if you can’t come every night
I’m asking you make it on Monday let’s
start our week off right it’s going to
be this much snow out there okay y’all
defrost your car put little come on if
you go to work tomorrow come to prayer
tomorrow I just want us to get fired up
in this next season tomorrow’s day eight
of fasting if you haven’t joined us you
got 14 days left get on this train and
ride it
okay some of y’all still getting
saved and if y’all need prayer for
anything I’m going to have the worship
team sing another song but I just feel
there’s a lingering anointing in here
today and and God’s keeping his promise
some of y’all he’s giving you Vision
you’re going to leave this place before
you leave this place he’s going to give
you instructions of what to do with
strengthening your strength this this
church is is a place where God meets
with people so you can go out and really
do your thing so if you need prayer I’m
going to ask the altar workers to come
right now for your marriage for your
family for your finances whatever is
going on in your life These are regular
people who got problems to they just
know how to pray they know how to talk
to God and we’re a real Church in this
place so if you need prayer I want you
to come from all over this place if you
don’t As we sing this last worship song
you are dismissed get home safe father I
declare this will be our best week of
fasting I thank you Father that this is
going to be the sharpest week we’ve ever
had and I thank you that this week
you’re going to strengthen Us in Jesus
name go out and live a transform life we
love you we’ll see you next week hey I
want to take a moment again before we
jump off and say thank you our church is
not built on one individual but on the
sacrifice of so many and you being a
part it means the world so thanks for
watching the message I also want to say
thank you to the thousands of people
around the world who are generous it
means the world and we are able to
represent we’re able to be generous to
meet the needs of people because of your
giving if you haven’t taken the step to
give trust me there is no pressure at
all but if you feel led you can text the
word give to 82 8282 or you can go
online when we partner together God uses
our generosity to make a difference
again if you haven’t take a moment to
subscribe to the YouTube channel and
more than watching on YouTube join us on
Sundays every single Sunday we’re here
10:45 CST a.m. we would love to see you
and like we always say go out and live a
transformed
[Music]
life