Transcription
All right, man. I had an incredible meeting this week with a company that analyzes social media. They do marketing and promotions, and they wanted to meet with me because they couldn't figure out how this little kid from Birmingham, Alabama, is doing all he's doing on socials. They're looking at my numbers, and I'm just posting, trying to inspire people.
And from what they're telling me, they said, "Pastor Mike, look, you did this many on this view and this many on this view. You are a gold mine. We could monetize you. We could do XYZ." People all over the world. You're almost at a million TikTok followers. Every time I turn around, somebody's posting your sermon, they're posting your quote, they're posting your music. Oh my God. And I'm like, "Okay, cool. God bless you." Yeah. Right. Yeah. Thank you. That's not what we're doing."
And they wanted to meet the whole team who's doing this. And it's practically just me and Dre. Dre sends me a video. I go open my phone. I cut it up, post it, and it's just me and him figuring it out. I actually enjoy creating content that blesses people. I absolutely incredibly enjoy it.
Then they messed around and asked me a question. They said, "Well, what's your favorite thing on social media?" I had to be honest with them. Don't laugh at me and don't judge me. I like the chiropractors. You too? So, I'm the only person. Huh? I like how they, I like how the chiropractors be like, "Okay, just breathe. Breathe. You feel... All right. All right. What are you feeling right there in your neck? Right there."
But more than the chiropractors, I like how the comedians make fun of the chiropractors. This one guy had a skeleton on a table and he was like, "Okay, okay." He just bent it in half, then he threw it against the wall. Then he broke his whole head off. And I was sitting there, and I love how they talk to you right before they break you. They whisper in your ear, "Breathe, breathe. Okay. Okay. You just need an adjustment." My [laughter] And when I thought about it, I said, "Oh my God, you thought you was coming to church. Today, you came to a spiritual chiropractor."
Cuz you've been spending too much time with an attitude adjustment. To if you ain't careful, you only going to see the negative and not the positive that God is doing in your life. That if we're honest with ourselves, some of us need [cough and clears throat] a gratitude adjustment.
Everybody always asks me, "What's my favorite holiday?" If you had to ask me, most people like Fourth of July 'cause you love the fireworks and the barbecue. Some people like Christmas 'cause that means I'm going to get me some gifts. Some of y'all like New Year's Eve 'cause you like partying like it's 1999. But for me, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Why, Pastor Mike? Because Thanksgiving at least forces the most ungrateful person on the planet to at least say the word "thanks."
When I think of Thanksgiving, it makes me think of Psalms chapter 100, verse 4. And this is enough to get Grandmama to shout. It says, "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise." Here it is. "Be thankful to him, and bless." See, you can see my season, saints, lifting their hand. Look at Mama right there. She got a hand. Look at Mama right there. All the young people sitting in here like it's just words. It's just a scripture. That's because you don't understand what that scripture means.
There are certain scriptures where I got to break that text down. But then there are certain scriptures where if you got a real relationship with God, it blesses your spirit. It says, "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Be thankful to him, and bless his name." Now, you don't understand why that scripture is important because you don't understand the history behind that scripture.
This verse is a metaphorical invitation for believers to approach God with a heart full of gratitude and praise. Psalms chapter 100 is a metaphorical invitation. The text is critical because in the book of Psalms, we all attribute most of the Psalms to David. But what we don't understand is there are some Psalms in the Bible that David did not write. David didn't write all of the Psalms. He wrote the majority of the Psalms. Some scriptures, we don't know who wrote it. Guess what? 23rd Psalms, we know that's David. "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." But when it comes to Psalms chapter 100, we really don't have a clue who wrote it. Was it David? Was it somebody else?
And because we don't know who wrote it, I'ma take it for myself. That's critical. Why, PMJ? It is a metaphorical invitation for us to enter into God's presence with a heart full of gratitude. Watch this. "Enter into his gates and his courts." That symbolizes, put this in your notes if you don't mind. When they say "enter into his gates and enter into his courts," that means come into God's presence. I'm going to run by myself today. I feel it.
So when they say "enter into his gates and enter into his courts," that doesn't make sense to a lot of you 'cause you don't live behind a gate and you don't live inside a court. But if we broke that scripture down into 21st century, what the writer is saying is, when you come into God's presence, you better bring some gratefulness with you. I'm going to run.
This verse encourages believers to not just seek God when they need something, but to continually express gratefulness for His blessings just because of who He is. Woo! I just lost half the room right there. In other words, Psalms chapter 100 is saying, "For everybody who only shouts WHEN HE DOING SOMETHING, THIS AIN'T for you."
Because there are two types of people sitting on your row right now. One of y'all ONLY GONNA SHOUT WHEN HE DO IT. But then one of us CAN SHOUT EVEN IF HE DON'T do it. One of y'all gonna shout because of what he gave you. But then three of y'all crazy enough to say, "God, I'm just shouting because of who you are." Now, I don't know which one you are, but if your neighbor looking you up and down, they may be the wrong one. So reach over that neighbor and high five a real neighbor and say, "If he don't do nothing else, I'm in the wrong church. If he don't do nothing else."
Anybody can give God a "He did it" praise. But it takes another level of crazy to give God an "Even if he don't" praise. So I'm going to find three of y'all. "God, I thank you even if you don't give me the job. I thank you even if you don't heal my body. I thank you even if my child stay crazy. I thank you even if the bill don't get paid." You looking at me like I ain't built like that. That's why we ain't got the saints. But if God's been good to you, you ought to just jump up and shout, "Thank you, Jesus!" Woo!
No, I'm not just going to call God when I need something. I'mma call him just for who he is. Y'all, y'all got to pray for me. I got four boys, right? And they preacher's kids. And you know it's hard to be a preacher's kid, especially when your daddy got a big old church and everybody know him. So I walked in the room on yesterday and I caught and heard them talking. They was like, "Yeah, man. It's crazy. All my friends going to the Rod Wave concert, but you know, we can't go to stuff like that 'cause of who we are." And I was like, "Well, what's wrong?"
"Well, Dad, they messing around. They said, 'We don't want to get you in trouble.'" I don't know if that was reverse psychology or not, but the Ensley and me was like, "What you mean, 'get me'? Who who going to put me in trouble?" They said, "Well, Dad, we know you, Pastor Mike, and know if we just want to go 'cause we like his music, but people going to judge you and they going to hate on you. They going to be tweeting about you, and we don't want that." I messed around and said, "You you want to go?" He was like, "Yeah." I said, "Well, put your shoes on."
Think I'm out here soft and scared of folk? Put your shoes on. I ain't have no ticket for real. I just went. I JUST KNOCKED ON THE BACK DOOR OF THE BJCC. I SAID, "DOCK, NOT A HEY, PASTOR MIKE SAID, 'HEY, HOW YOU DOING?' I'M JUST... YOU GOT TO WALK LIKE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. HEY, HERE FOR THE CONCERT. GOD bless you." I walked around. NEXT THING YOU KNOW, WE STANDING by the sound booth. I GOT A WHOLE HOODIE ON, SOME GLASSES. LIKE, LORD, I PRAY DON'T NOBODY SEE ME IN THIS THING. MASON ALL IN THE FRONT. MASON ALL IN THE FRONT LIKE THIS. RA. And I'm like, "Oh my God, I'mma be viral by in THE MORNING."
In my head, we driving home and in my head, by the time I woke up, it was going to be like, "You know, y'all pastor was in the party last night. Turned up." And I'm like, Jesus. And I get home and I'm really frustrated and I'm scared 'cause I don't want to go viral 'cause, you know, people can BE SO JUDGMENTAL. But then my baby messed around and looked at me and said, "Dad," I said, "What? Thank you." I said, "I don't care who going to talk about me CUZ WHENEVER THE CHILD TELL THE FATHER THANK YOU, IT MAKE HIM DO WHATEVER IT TAKE TO BLESS YOU."
And I KNOW YOU NEED GOD TO DO SOMETHING. Instead of asking him for stuff, you ought to take 30 seconds and just tell God thank, thank, thank, thank, THANK YOU. SOMEBODY OUGHT TO JUST SHOUT THANK YOU. GRANDMAMA SAID IT LIKE, "Oh my God." GRANDMAMA WAS A PRAISE GANGSTER. GRANDMAMA SAID, "IF I HAD," [screaming] See, I ain't got no Baptist PEOPLE IN HERE. ALL Y'ALL BOUGIE SAINTS, SIT DOWN. WHERE MY BAPTIST SAINTS AT? If I HAD 10,000 [screaming] TONGUES, I STILL COULDN'T FAKE YOU UP. YOU OUGHT TO JUST TELL [screaming] GOD, "Thank you." No, he been good. Hear me. Thank you. Thank you, bro. Thank you. Thank you. Put this, put this in your phone. Put this in your phone. Put this in your phone. Thanksgiving and gratitude is the code that opens heaven's gates.
Leslie, if you don't mind, I'm calling an audible. Can you put Psalms 100 on the screen in the back if you don't mind? Dre, I'm so, so sorry. Even beneath me right now, if they're watching at home, let them see Psalms 100. You missed your first shout. [groaning] "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving." How do you get in? IT'S WHEN YOU WALK in with a thank you in your spirit. Y'all crazy. Y'all crazy. Hear me. Hear me. Hear me. Hear me.
Maybe the door ain't open 'cause you trying to walk in with arrogance. Your degree ain't going to do it. Your last name AIN'T GOING TO DO IT. WHAT'S GOING TO OPEN THE GATE? A thankfulness. Thank you, bro. Bro, I ain't never had everything I needed to do what I needed to do. No. The first time I walked in this building, first time I walked into in this building, we was walking in here and we looking at the room and the walls didn't look like this. None of this stuff looked like this. And I'm walking through here and the realtor, I could tell he was trying to see if I was wrong with me 'cause I'm just walking through like, "Oh, thank you, Jesus. Oh, thank you, Jesus. Oh, thank you, Jesus." Well, I'm just letting you know they're going to want over $4 million for every... Oh, thank you, Jesus. Oh, thank you, Jesus. Knowing good and well I ain't got $40. Like, oh, thank you, Jesus. He ain't going to know it. I'm walking through this thing. Thank you, Jesus. Woo, thank you, Jesus. I'm getting sound people in here. How much sound we going to need? No, that sound you got at Forestdale ain't going to work. You need a speaker right here. And then you're going to need subs in the sky. Then the people in the balcony going to need their own speakers. Then all the lights going... I'm like, "Oo, thank you, Jesus. Woo! Thank you, Jesus." Woo! 'Cause my... Thank you, Jesus. You f to catch this. I've learned I'm going to run if I thank him in advance. [cheering]
I don't KNOW WHO NEED GOD TO DO SOMETHING. YOU'VE BEEN ON THE PHONE ALL WEEK COMPLAINING. YOU MIGHT NEED TO GO BACK AND SAY, "YOU KNOW WHAT? THANK YOU, JESUS." You got TO INTERVIEW THIS WEEK. YOU OUGHT TO PULL UP LIKE, "THANK YOU, JESUS. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus."
"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving. Enter into his courts with what?" It's critical because worship... Am I doing okay? Worship is the overflow of a grateful heart. That's why some of y'all can't worship. That's why I'm, I'm, I'm almost tempted to preach first and we do praise and worship second because y'all, it be taking some of y'all 40 minutes for one response. Y'all be looking at my praise team and my choir like y'all on American Idol. They be up here. Can you [laughter] You ought to lift your hands. Open up your mouth 'cause you can't worship until you hear the song you like. See, you shouldn't come to church waiting to hear a song. 'Cause when YOU GOT AN ATTITUDE of... I'm adjusting some stuff. WHEN YOU GOT AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE, EVEN IF I DON'T KNOW THE WORDS, YOU SHOULD BE ON YOUR ROW LIKE, "FATHER, I THANK YOU." [cheering] And your neighbor like, "What song that is?" I don't know. Don't even like it. I'm just grateful now. You know they can't sing. CAN'T SING A LICK, BUT GOD BEEN GOOD TO ME. WHAT? SEE YOU OVER HERE critiquing when if you quiet. Am I preaching? Quiet? Did I check them? I TOLD Y'ALL I GOING TO CHECK THEM, DIDN'T IT?
Now, now hear me when I say this. This is crazy. I need you to catch this now. Because when you got gratitude, you don't need the lyrics. [screaming] Okay, watch this. Watch this. Only 'cause when you grateful, this is good. You find God in everything. Gratefulness finds the God. Can, can you put me in seat? Can you put me... A little lamb. Little lamb. [cheering] Mary had a little lamb. Now behold that lamb. See, 'cause when you grateful, I CAN FIND GOD. And many of us will never worship right. We will never appreciate things right. We will never properly value people right. We will always abuse the things God sends us 'cause we don't have enough gratitude. You need a gratitude adjustment.
Can you put this in your phone? What is a gratitude adjustment? Put this in your phone if you don't mind. Okay. Put this in your phone. Put it in your phone. You ready? Put this in your phone. All right. Put... Even if you're not, just act like you're doing it so I can... I was up all night working on this. Like, you you going to act like you putting these words in this phone. I'm like your mama. I cook this food. You somebody going to eat this food. Okay. You ready? All right. Here we go. Here we go. Okay. All right. So, let's do it again. All right. So, when you see this on Instagram, they going to think it's real. Uh, but I'm going to say a gratitude adjustment. You give me the... then I'm going to go straight into it. Okay. Here we go.
"Some of you need a gratitude adjustment." Now, now, what is a gratitude adjust? Y'all just as fake. You going to be in the comments. "Yeah, that was my um right there." You heard the high pitcher. All right. So, what is a gratitude adjustment? Put this in your notes. A gratitude adjustment is when I choose to value what I have above what I want. That's good. A gratitude adjustment. This is rich. This is rich. This is rich. A gratitude adjustment is when I choose to value what I have above what I want. A gratitude adjustment is when I can thank God for what I do have and don't spend 90% of my day crying about what I don't. I'm preaching if y'all will receive that.
So, here's a question I want to ask you right now. I want to ask you this. I know you holy, but are you happy? So much of church has been wrapped in your holiness where now at 40, I'm starting to ask myself questions now like, but am I happy? 'Cause listen to me, young people, you going to get to a point where you going to get the money you thought you was going to have and still be empty. Watch this. The the space between happiness and emptiness is gratefulness. How do I seal the hole at the bottom with gratefulness? I, I want to ask you this question. Gratitude adjustment is when I value what I have above what I want.
Now, let's be honest. Let's be honest. We're all family here, okay? We're all family here. Who wants some more money? [snorts] All right. Who can be honest and say, "Well, Pastor, I still don't even, I'm not sure I fully appreciate what I have." Is, can we just be honest? Okay. Who want a new car? Who can be honest and say, "Well, you know what? I can say I haven't truly been grateful for what I have." Okay. Who want a new house? But who can be hon? But look how it only applies to material stuff. 'Cause some of y'all want a new man. Put your hand down, girl. You're on TV. You're going to be in trouble when you get home. [laughter] You're going to be on Instagram. Blow that up for me. Is that Kha?
But let me free you real quickly. Let me free you. Your ungratefulness going to turn the next one into the last one. Some of y'all like, "No, I can't do this relationship with her. All she do is fuss." Is that, is that all she do? Is that, or I want to, I want to, I want to say this. Remember I said that I want to preach this because some of us when we are pre, when we are preoccupied with what we want, we abuse what we have. [snorts] When we are preoccupied with what we want, we abuse what we have. Joe, this is crazy. Karan, this is crazy. Tess, this is crazy. 'Cause some of y'all remember how you loved your car 'til you realized you wanted a new one. Who know what I'm talking about? And the moment you decided you was getting you a new one, you stopped caring about that car. The check engine light, like, coming, forget this. I'm going get a new car anyway. That's their problem. [laughter] Who am I preaching to?
REMEMBER WHEN YOU STAYED IN YOUR APARTMENT, then you finally closed and was going to move to your house and you stopped caring about the apartment? Kids put a hold on. Forget that. We be here. They keep that little deposit. It was nothing anyway. [cough] Because when we become preoccupied with what we want, we abuse what we have. Th This is what psychologists call, this may be worth writing. This is what psychologists call perpetual dissatisfaction. That was good, wasn't it? Whoever that was, I really appreciate that. That was, I, I mean from the depths of my heart, that was really, it didn't happen at 9:00. You really, I, I have gratitude for you. To the rest of y'all, you are [laughter] It is what psychologists call perpetual dissatisfaction. What is that? I'mma say it slow. It is constantly complaining. Perpetual dissatisfaction is constantly complaining. It is the persistent whisper in the back of your mind that nothing feels quite right in your life. That there's not enough love, not enough inspiration, not enough money, not enough success or connections or respect. Nothing feels right. It is the whisper in the back of your mind that nothing is good enough. And when you fall into perpetual dissatisfaction, that is what doctors call chronic dissatisfaction. Oh, these some heavy words, ain't it? Chronic dissatisfaction. Put it on the screen. It is that restless feeling of yearning. Wishing for something more. This is crazy. But not even knowing what the more is. That's crazy, ain't it? So now you at a job like, I don't know. I just got to find it's just this. But you honestly don't even know what would actually make you happy. I would argue that 95% of this room and this stream, if God came down from heaven right now and sat in front of you and asked you, "What do you want?" you would fumble. 'Cause the truth of the matter is, you really don't know what you want. Half of y'all stuck on looking at what other people got. Some of y'all don't want it 'til you see it.
So, so, so, so honestly, this is critical. This is critical. This is critical. This is critical. Are you walking around in chronic dissatisfaction? Some of you complaining about stuff God just did. "Hey, y'all know I got a new job." "Yeah. Yeah. Oh, pray for me. I ain't been up there three days and they already..." I want to challenge you on this. I like challenging. Like anybody who knows me know I'm extremely hard on me. [clears throat] I'm extremely hard on me and I do something called a 360-degree walk. So whatever I'm going through, I place it here and I walk all the way around it. I start with the positive. I'm sorry. I start with the negative, the worst case of it, and I walk all the way to the best case of it. It's a 360-degree walk. Okay, that's how I am. I want to challenge you on this. What if I told you to always complain and be dissatisfi dissatisfied? What you're saying on the surface is this ain't enough. But what you're expressing to heaven is God's not enough. [clears throat] This critical. This crit... I want to ask you this question. If you go to a restaurant today and they bring out what you ordered, but you don't like it. All right? And you tell the waiter you don't like it and you get an attitude with the waiter and then they for... No, you send it back. What you're really saying is, I want you to think deeply. You're not saying you don't like the food. You caught that. What you're saying is the cook messed up. So, whatever God sent you that you were dissatisfied with, you not mad at the plate. Subconsciously, you beefing with God. Michael, they don't like me.
And if you're not careful, this the game we play because your satisfaction is tied to what God is doing. Your dissatisfaction is tied to what the devil is doing. So you don't even know subconsciously. You say stuff like, you say stuff like, "If you get the job, God, I thank you." But then if you don't get the job, you say stuff like, "The devil been busy." When now that I'm 40, that hit different when you... Everybody. No, I'm, I promise you. I thought it was a lie, but when you hit 40, it just something come over you like, I'm 40. Forget it. I don't even eat onions. Yesterday, I sat down. They put onions in my food. I was too... Give it here. I... Okay, cool. That's... You eat? I'm 40. All right. Hey, look. Hey, I'm 40. I ain't got time to send that food back. Give me, give me these onions. I'm 40.
So, so let me free you real quickly. Let me free you real quickly. So, you say when you get the job, "I'm satisfied. God, thank you." When you don't get the job, "The devil's busy." When now that I'm 40, I look back over my life and I realize there were certain times I didn't get the job and should have said, "God, I thank you." Then there were certain seasons where I got the job and should have said, "The devil was busy." CUZ THE DEVIL KNOWS I GIVE YOU A NEW JOB IF I CAN KEEP YOU OUT OF CHURCH ON SUNDAY. I lure YOU WITH MORE MONEY, BUT I'LL PULL YOU OUT OF YOUR PEACE. Y'all miss what I just said? SOME OF Y'ALL GETTING READY TO GET A JOB AND YOU SO CAUGHT UP ON HOW MUCH IT PAY WHEN YOU NEED TO SEE HOW MUCH IT'S GOING TO TAKE FROM YOU 'CAUSE YOU MAY BE UNGRATEFUL ON THE JOB YOU ARE ON. BUT THINK ABOUT IT. YOU GET TO COME AND GO AS YOU PLEASE FOR THE MOST PART. IF YOU GOT TO GET TO THE SCHOOL, YOU CAN GO SEE YOUR KIDS. YOU GET TO COME see me every Sunday. But sometimes more money don't mean more God. SOMETIMES THE DEVIL IS SO STRATEGIC THAT HE REALIZES, "I AIN'T GOT TO BREAK YOU. I'LL JUST DRAIN YOU." I said something heavy and you missed it. THE DEVIL IS LIKE, "I DON'T HAVE TO BREAK YOU. I'LL JUST DRAIN YOU. I'LL GIVE you more money. I'LL GIVE YOU MORE RESPONSIBILITY. NOW YOU CAN GET THE CAR YOU WANT. YOU CAN GET THE HOUSE YOU WANT. AND NOW YOU DON'T EVEN REALIZE you had more peace when you didn't have nothing."
Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay, I feel it now. There it is. I feel it now. I'm strapped in. I feel it now. I feel it now. HERE IT IS. ONLY FIVE OF Y'ALL GOING TO CATCH THIS WHEN I SAY IT. If I'm being honest, when my church had like a hundred people in it at the LA Hall and when we first got to Farsdale, when when no people coming, we used to have the best church we ever had. I didn't care about budgets. I didn't care about streams. I didn't care about stuff being perfect. We would lay on the floor AND CRY ALL DAY JUST TELLING GOD thank you. But it seems like the more God has done, I realize I start getting caught up on stewarding WHAT HE SENT VERSUS JUST experiencing Michael what he's doing. And three of y'all feel me? Three of y'all feel me. Got more money than you ever had. But now you all of a sudden wrestling with anxiety. Yes, some of y'all feel me. You finally in a relationship where you happy. Y'all don't fuss. Y'all, it's different. You like, man, it's different. Like, we actually connect. We link. We be talking about stuff. We have fun. And now all of a sudden, you ain't got no peace. 'Cause you thought when it was good, it was God. When Grandmama read a scripture that said, "The Lord giveth." Am I preaching to anybody?
So, what is gratitude? Can you put this in your phone? Can you put this in your phone online? I hope you rock with me. Somebody put this in the comments. What is gratitude? This is real good. Here's gratitude. Number one is a... It is a filling in the heart. I have 12 minutes and I'm going to send you home. It is a filling in the heart. Number two, an expression with words. Number three, giving in return. That's good. Gratitude. Leave that up there so they can write it. It is a filling in the heart. I'mma always encourage you to share your sermon notes online. Be a blessing to somebody. If I'm never preaching, you want to pull your phone out and get you a quick story, do that. I want you to share the message with us. I love when y'all do that. People get saved. Next week, I'm going to start posting the inboxes we get from people saying they watch the message and it changed their lives. That's a part of evangelism. That's a part of street witnessing, man.
So, hear me when I say this. What's gratitude? A filling in the heart? It's when you feel it. Somebody ever done something for you and instantly you was like, "All right." So, so fellas, somebody do something for you and you, and you're a thug, but you can't really be sensitive. So, like, man, how you want to do this for a man, a man? Lady, she ever, somebody ever do something, you hit them with the "Oh." Oh. You felt something where in your heart. I want to stop right there. I didn't say this at nine, but this just hit me on the spot. The first trap of gratitude is the fight between heart and mind. That just hit me. All right. So, cut first. You want me to run it back? Oh, you told me to run it back. Oh, you trying to post it? Okay. You ready? You ready? You ready? Okay. The... I forgot what I said. The first wrestle between what? Okay. Yeah, there it is. I ain't remember. I told you be commenting to me on the spot. The first trap in holding you back from being grateful is reason. It is the fight between your heart and your mind. So it hit your heart, then mind say what they want. That, that's what happened. I had to take a laugh on that one 'cause you know what happened. Hey, I just called to check on you. All right. Then you hang up the phone. Who done said something to them? Because there's this fight between your mind and your heart. And what's crazy is your mind is trying to protect your heart, but all protection ain't healthy. All protection ain't healthy. So I feel it in my heart. What's the first thing I got to do? Convince my mind to stay out of this. Just feel it. Just feel it. Hey man, I just wanted to call and check on you. Tell I love you, man. I appreciate you. I, I, I like, what's wrong? I'mma talk... I'm not going to finish the message, but next week it's going to be good 'cause I'mma talk about how the scripture, whenever we got to change our mind, we say, "Be ye transformed by the what?" I found another scripture that says, "Be changed in the spirit of your mind." Which lets me know that my mind has a spirit called the subconscious. That's critical. That's critical. And your subconscious is your default setting. This is why you cuss quick. Then you have to get your... I had to get my mind. [cheering] I had to get my mind right. So I'm, I'm going to talk about that next week. SO WHAT I'M REALLY TELLING YOU IS YOU HAVE TO be proactive in your gratefulness because now shout your age out on the count of three. 1, 2, 3. You got that many years of negativity. So what you got to do as soon as you feel it in your heart, you got to snatch that mind. Stay out of this, man. I want to say thank you. Oh man.
Now, number two, you express it with words. Wow. Wow. Thank you, man. Wow. Like, man, wow. Like, can I do something for you? No. Can, can I give you a hug? Three is giving. Every... Can I give you a hug? Can I give you words of affirmation sometime down the line? Hey, I just want to be a blessing to you because you were a bless. That's gratitude. All right, I'm going to free you. Has God ever done something for you and you felt it? Have you ever in return said something to him? Watch this. But since you're not a giver, you ain't fully grateful. Giving ain't just putting money in a bucket. Giving is telling God, "I am." So that's why you see people stand on the wall. They're giving their service. That's why you see them sing. They're giving of their gift. Did y'all see that? That's critical.
So when we tiptoe into today's text, I'm going to do this in seven minutes. When we tiptoe into today's text, Luke gives us a scripture that's cold-blooded. In this pregnant Lucan passage, we are introduced to one of the coldest stories on gratefulness. You don't believe me? It's right there on your screen. In verse 36, it says, "One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him." So Jesus went to his home, sat down to eat. I'm going to have church by myself. You missed it. I'mma say it again. One of the who? Pharisees. Pause. I need you to put this in your phones. The Pharisees can't stand Jesus. That's why you didn't get excited. The Pharisees are mad at Jesus. 'Cause Jesus got people with no building, yet they got buildings with no people. They've been to school to preach and don't nobody want to hear it. Jesus walking around preaching and can't keep people, everybody away from them. So they hating on him. Okay. What's another reason they're hating on him? They're hating on him because they did not believe he was the Son of God. They are questioning his anointing. They are questioning his call. The Pharisees don't like Jesus. I'MMA SAY IT AGAIN. THE PHARISEES don't like Jesus. I'mma say it again. Jesus. The Pharisee. Ooh. Ooh. The Pharisees are beefing with Jesus, but Jesus ain't beefing with them. Oh, I, I just saw that. That can explain why FOLK DON'T LIKE YOU, BUT YOU LOVE THEM. Because they beefing with you, but you ain't even beefing with them. 'Cause what WE CHASING AIN'T EVEN THE SAME THING. You trying to get PEOPLE TO THE TEMPLE. I'M TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO HEAVEN. [screaming] SIT DOWN. NO. NO. NO. SIT DOWN.
So the Pharisees, y'all ain't going to make me shout. I ain't got the five minutes left and once 1:00 hit, you gonna walk out on me. So sit down. I got to get this all out. Watch this. So the Pharisees are beefing with the ex, this is crazy. Pharisees beefing with Jesus. THEN OUT OF NOWHERE, now that I said that, look at verse 36. "One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him." So Jesus went to his home. Y'all, y'all, y'all don't get it. The Pharisees don't like him, yet they invite him to dinner. Okay, I'm, I'm 40. I'm 40. I told y'all I'm 40. I'm 40 now. And I just see scriptures differently. Okay, I see scriptures differently. Okay, what made me shout when I read verse 36? Okay, one of the Pharisees don't like. Pharisees as a whole don't like Jesus. One of them says, "Come to my house." I wasn't there. But if I was Jesus and I was there and this is my movie and I'm preaching, it'll go like this. Jesus and the disciples chilling. All right, they chilling outside, kicking it, doing their thing. A Pharisee rolls up. "Hey, can I speak to Jesus?" The disciples like, "No, you need to go somewhere. We know what time it is." He's like, "Bro, let me talk to Jesus." "No, if you don't want this smoke, I suggest you keep it moving 'cause we saw what y'all tried to do down the street. And if it weren't for Jay over here, we would have been put hands on you." AND THEN OUT OF NOWHERE, JESUS LIKE, "Let him through. All right. That's, that's how I see it. Okay. Jesus like, you know, 'cause, you know, he got that swag. Let him... He never looks up like, let him through." Then old buddy walks in. "Hey Jesus, how you doing? Simon and one of the Pharisees sees he want to invite you to the house to eat." All right. Invite you to the house to eat for dinner. Then, then all the other disciples are sitting there like, "What? YOU THINK WE FINISHED?" SILENCE. "What time?" "7:30." "What's on the menu?" "Beans, greens, tomatoes, yams, you name it." All right. So then he's like, "All right." So he's like, "So you mean to tell me 7:30?" "Yes, Jesus. Yams, collard greens, chicken." "Yes, Jesus. Bet." So then Jesus says, "Bet." Right? So then THEY WALK OFF AND THEN THE DISCIPLES GO BALLISTIC. "You, you going to go to their house? You going to go to... Do you see how they've BEEN TRYING TO KILL US? We, we, I, I told you I was going to follow you, Jesus. And I was with you. I was out there fishing, minding my business. You roll up on me and you tell me I'm about to make you fishers of men. AND I CALL HOME. I tell my wife, 'Hey, guess what? This ain't a lie this time. I'm going with Jesus. I'mma be gone for about 3 years, but I'm with Jesus.'" And she like, "Jesus?" I'M LIKE, "JESUS?" SHE LIKE, "Bet, baby, be safe." I'M OUT HERE THINKING WE GOING TO BE IN A FOUR-STAR HOTEL. We going to be eating lobster AND CRAB LEGS. We out here living in the woods eating two fish, [screaming] five loaves of bread. People trying to kill us. AND NOW THE PEOPLE THAT'S TRYING TO KILL US, YOU F TO GO TO DINNER WITH THEM." And then Peter like, "We can go all we want to. I keep that thing on me 'cause, you know, Peter cut somebody like Peter." Like, "I got that five. What they want to do? Who? Who? No. You, you, you lame. You lame disciples." But trust and believe. Let somebody touch Jesus and all... All right, 'cause you know Peter the one who cut everybody, right? So Peter, so then Thomas the doubter is like, "I don't think we should do this. I don't think we should DO THIS." Finally, Jesus like, "Chill."
And here's the coldest part of the scripture. Knowing they don't like him, the scripture says, "Come." So he went. See, when YOU GET TO ANOTHER LEVEL IN FAITH AND YOU START UNDERSTANDING WHO YOU ARE AND WHOSE YOU ARE IN 2024. I AIN'T DUCKING NO SMOKE. [screaming] NAH. NAH. IF I WAS YOU, I WOULDN'T DO THAT. IT IS WHAT IT IS. GOD KEPT ME LAST YEAR, HE'LL KEEP ME THIS YEAR. WHATEVER GOD GOT FOR ME, IF IT'S GOLIATH, IF IT'S A DEVIL, IF IT'S A FIERY FURNACE, MAY GOD PROTECT.
Watch this. So the text says, "So he went." So Jesus and y'all know they tripping. This my movie, right? So they walking. They ain't got no car. They walking and that whole walk Jesus just walking and the disciples looking around 'cause they paranoid. And they probably got the close one that's close to him, John, like, "Hey, bro. Man, you sure you want to do this? I'm telling you, man. This ain't smart. I know we got out of the stuff last time, but this time going to be different. You can't keep walking in all this stuff. This ain't no TV show, bro. You ain't going to always get beat up, get beat up, get in right at right before it go off. All of a sudden, Jesus comes through." Like, we can't keep doing this. AND THE TEXT SAYS JESUS WENT TO his home. This the cold part, sat down. All right, you didn't shout up top. Y'all didn't shout 'cause y'all don't know what it means to sat down. All right, so I don't know how to spell it. I don't know how to spell it, so don't ask me. My professor at Yale Divinity taught me that's what they call anachronistic thinking. Anachronistic. I don't know how to spell it. Figure it out. Anachronistic. Okay, what does that mean? That's when you put 21st-century Birmingham on first-century Palestine. So when I told you he went to their house to eat to sit down, you thought your dining room table. They didn't have tables like that. Everybody sat on the floor. Okay. All my young people, FORGET Y'ALL. Everybody with good knees, forget y'all. All right. To everybody who's 40 and you have to get your mind right to sit down. Okay. Y'all going to be fake on me. All right. 'Cause you know at 40 if YOU SIT DOWN YOU DON'T PLAN ON... I'm preaching THE THREE. So you sit down, it take a woo. You got to give a sound effect. Woo. Then you got to find the seat. Then you sit down. Woo. So that means if THEY WAS TRYING TO ATTACK HIM, HE WASN'T JUST GOING TO POP UP. HE'S DEFENSELESS. HE WOULD HAVE HAD TO FIRST WHAT? SCOOP TO THE FRONT. Get a little rock in. [groaning] WHY DID HE SIT DOWN? CUZ HE wanted to show them. I'm at peace. Whatever Michael y'all trying to do. Let's do it.
Here's what gets crazy. Everybody's there. Then the next scripture teaches us that when a certain... I like how the Bible throw shade. "Immoral woman." That's shade right there. Okay. Anybody want to use that this week? Just, you know, I would hurt you 'cause you're an immoral somebody. Okay. Why? When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there. She brought an alabaster jar filled. If you Baptist and you know you London, she brought an alabaster box. Jesus. That, that, that's crazy, ain't it? Hear me. But you missed your shout. The scripture says when a certain woman... woman, look how Luke being messy. An immoral woman. Why does Luke give us adjectives? Because Luke is a physician and and physi, physicians have to be technical. This is why Mark talks fast and suddenly and immediately, then in a way, then God moved and he took off. Luke is more precise. Luke says a certain immoral woman. One crystal calls HER A PROSTITUTE. A prostitute overhears that Jesus is eating there and she decides to show up. Michael, I got three minutes. Everybody there GOT AN INVITATION. Everybody there been invited, but one sister ain't got not a nam invitation. That's two of y'all ON YOUR ROW. ONE OF Y'ALL WAITING ON PEOPLE TO INVITE YOU TO THE PARTY. BUT THEN TWO OF Y'ALL LIKE JAMES BROWN. I'LL KICK THE DOOR OPEN AND GET IN. Y'ALL BETTER HAVE CHURCH WITH ME. THAT'S ONLY FOR THREE OF Y'ALL WHO WILL PRAISE GOD WITHOUT PERMISSION.
Watch this. And she walks in the room. She, she walks in the room. And the scripture says in the next verse that she knelt behind him at his feet. Michael, her tears fell on his feet. I want you to listen clearly. She wiped them off with her hair. You're not looking at the scripture, right? She's crying so hard and she's crying so heavy that her tears accumulate enough water on his feet that she got to wipe them off. I want you TO THINK ABOUT YOU crying so hard that there is a puddle at your feet. Then you take your hair. Okay? All right. This, I got to make this make sense to y'all 'cause some of y'all don't really have long hair. SO YOU PEEL the wig off, right? So, so you put the hair and THEN YOU JUST TAKE YOUR WHOLE WIG off and you just start wiping his feet. You take your 18-inch silky wavy smooth black and you WIPE IT. YOU TAKE YOUR NATURAL long hair that you done been taken care of and you take, watch this, listen. A woman's hair was considered her glory. The longer her hair was, it was thought that the more glory rested on her. So, she takes her glory. Michael. Michael. Y'ALL MISSED IT. SHE'S A PROSTITUTE, WHICH MEANS the only thing she HAS OF VALUE IS THIS ALABASTER BOX AND HER HAIR. AND SHE SAID, "I'MMA BREAK THE BOX." AND CUZ WHEN YOU GET IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD, DON'T NONE OF THIS STUFF. ACTUALLY, [screaming] YOUR CAR CAN'T COME TO HEAVEN WITH YOU. YOUR JOB CAN'T COME TO HEAVEN WITH YOU. YOUR BANK ACCOUNT CAN'T COME TO HEAVEN WITH YOU. GOD HAS THE RIGHT NOW. I GIVE YOU THE BEST THAT I GOT. [screaming]
Watch this. But here's what I'm tripping on now. Here's what I'm tripping on now. Because if it's a dinner at my house, houses weren't built like your house. Everybody who's invited is in the middle. But it's practically no windows. So you can just basically the whole city looking inside the house trying to figure out what's about to happen. Then out of nowhere, it's crazy. It's crazy. A prostitute comes walking in. Okay, I want y'all to really start thinking like me. Out of all these men present, why did nobody grab her? Where in the scripture does somebody say, "Get out of here"? I know security was present because Peter cut people. I know security was present because people had centurions and armies. So out of all the men in the room, this one lady walked in and everybody shut up. SEE, IT'S HARD TO CHECK SOMEBODY who may have some on you. [cheering] SO IMAGINE SHE WALK IN THE ROOM. THIS HOW I SEE IT. SHE WALK IN THE ROOM AND ONE OF THE PEOPLE LIKE, "Oh my God." TO THE NEXT PERSON LIKE, "And keep in mind, LET'S SAY THE OLD LADY SITTING NEXT TO HIM." SO NOW THEY GOT OUT LIKE THAT AND THEY LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AND SHE COME WALKING IN. KEEP IN mind she overheard that Jesus is there. Okay. Can I play devil's advocate? Can I play devil's advocate? What if the Pharisees who don't like Jesus invited this prostitute to try to trap him? Come on, Pastor Mike. That don't make sense. Okay, you remember? You remember when they caught that one woman in the act? Then they brought her to Jesus says, "Who should die?" 'Cause they was trying to get him to make a bad judgment to trap him. And then he said, "He who is without sin cast the first stone." See, throughout the New Testament, now that you know that the Pharisees don't like Jesus, you have to start viewing stuff as traps. Remember they brought the person who was he was sick and they asked Jesus should he heal him on Sunday and Jesus heals him on Sunday and he had to debate 'cause that was a trap. So what if they said, "No, we going to get Jesus to come to the house, make the prostitute walk in, let her throw herself all over him and that to show the people he just as wicked as us." So let's just say that happened, but they don't tell the prostitute who it is. They just say, "When you get there, it's going to be a dude. We going to point at him. Do your thing and we going to set him up. We'll give you some money for..."
It. Okay. And she bold, girl, I'm gonna go get this money. But while she's walking, she hears somebody say, "Well, you know Jesus at Simon's house." She like, "Jesus who?" You know, the one who healed the sick, raised the dead. You know the girl who was bleeding that we used to talk about? Oh, she ain't bleeding no more. You remember Jerry's daughter died and then she came back. This can preach it. That Jesus, Jesus, that Jesus.
And so now in her head, she's like, "Oh my god." And she's still trying to be a G about it. But when she walks in the room, she starts feeling his presence. That's for five of y'all who've ever came to church mad, but by the time you got in the room, you start feeling God moving in your life. And she's sitting there, right? She's sitting there and the text says she kneels behind him and starts weeping and she wipes his feet with her hair. I go, "This cold. It's cold." I, I need you to understand this. This cold-blooded. This cold-blooded. Preachers are there. Politicians are there. Family and friends are there. Rich people are there. And the sinner is the only one who has gratitude. Which means everybody in there needed a gratitude adjustment. Yeah. It's about 1,400 people in here who came to church, but it ain't 1,400 people who came to have. 'Cause just because you present don't mean you're grateful.
And I don't know who I'm preaching to right now, but if you can think back on some stuff that God has done for you, you ought to take 20 seconds and just tell God. Come here. You can play softly. I'm going to sing home. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me. Have we gotten used to who we should be grateful for? That's a real-life question I want to ask you today. 'Cause I know you're going to be upset. I, I wrestle with this. I wrestle with ungratefulness sometimes, too. My phone's been ringing all week. I, I didn't get a Grammy nomination. Everybody thought this was going to be the year. My album did incredible. It's killing the game. And we got all these Stellar Awards. We got Dove Awards. It was like, "This the year." And then I'm sitting there. They called, never called my name. And now you got your people calling you. You know how they, they love you. So they, by default, they ain't trying to be negative. They just love you. Like, "No, this person, you should have got it. It was your time. They just hating on you 'cause you knew yada yada yada yada." And I let it get to me for like 30 seconds. I hung up the phone. I'm like, "You know what, brother? It's like they always..." But I got something new I do now. My countenance can't be shifted. That, that's my new thing. My countenance. I want you to be able to walk up, spit in my face, and by the time you walk away, you don't even know if it, if it triggered me. Oh, man. Come on, bro. I love you, man. Now, you don't know that when I did this and winked, three people mean you in the parking lot. No, we not doing that. This ain't Chris Rock. No, it's going down. We going to be famous at Rock City. They like, "Man, they whole church stomped him out." Like, the whole church. No, but seriously, but spiritually, folk, you want to know what I do now? 'Cause it hits me. It hits me. I'm sitting home like, "Man, you, now that you say that, now that you say that, it's like, bro." But I write. I'm see, I've learned it's hard to be ungrateful when you write it, then read it. Somebody going to take that home today, and it's going to flip your life. So, I start writing. First grade flag football championship. Got to spend this whole time with my boys. You know, we finally got a church that we can fit everybody in. The school, our kid. I just start writing stuff. Then I start reading it. And it's hard to be mad when you hear miracles.
[music] You caught that? Do me a favor online and in the room. I dare you to pull your phone out and off the top of your head, hit three things. Three things God's done for you right now. Three things. Three things. Three things. 'Cause you want to know what's going to happen? You going to mess around and let ungratefulness convince you you had a bad year. What? Just look at some of the stuff God's done for you this year. So the question I want to ask you when it comes to the people in your life, they're sitting in front of God. This is good. Be careful when favor becomes familiar. They're sitting in front of Jesus and treating him like he's ordinary. So I want to ask you this question. My prayer for the next 35 days, watch this, is: God, don't let me get used to you. Can we be honest, church, online, in the comments, and in this room? Has God been good to anybody?
[music] So, so let me ask you this question. Who can be honest? And I'mma raise my hand first and say there are certain moments where I take God being good for granted. Let's, let's be very practical. We sin like we can't die in it. That's how bold. I want to be very, that's how bold we are that we literally do wrong and expect God to keep us in it. And because he's God, he still looks beyond our... But I want to ask you a question: Have we become too familiar with God? Or here's the next question, I've already asked it: Have we gotten used to who we should be grateful for? You didn't see Pastor Brad is leading worship today. We had to fly him and his whole family to Florida. We moved him from Florida. So his wife's mother passed this week. They were best friends. His wife and his mother, wife's mother, they were best friends, mother-daughter. So when you move somebody from another state when life happened, it's your responsibility in a sense to make sure they get home. Now, not try to, "Hey, look what it's going to cost. Y'all get in a plane, go home, be with your family." My wife lost her mother when she was 12. Pastor Tiffany lost her mother and father. And you legit beefing with a living one? I'm not saying they not wrong, because some of our parents are wrong. Here's what I am saying: If you got a text right now that said, "You need to get here, Mama's not here no more," whatever she did wouldn't be that deep. So I want to ask you a question as we approach Thanksgiving. Who are you treating like they're ordinary? I'm 40 years old, grown man, five kids. And before I bust a move, I still talk to my daddy. Hear me. We walking through this building. I'm like, "Oh, this it." Ask me what the next phone call was. "Dad, where you at?" "What up, bud?" "I'm at the church. You need to come." "All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. Right now. Right now. I need you to come." He comes walking in. "Oh, they crazy. Oh, they crazy. This you. This you." He gassing me. He be gassing me. Gassing me. "Mike. Mike. Mike. This ain't big enough. You're going to have to tear that whole ceiling out and put a whole another ceiling on top of that ceiling. Four balconies." I'm like, "Four balconies." Like that. My daddy. 40 years old. I still light up when he says, "You killing it."
[music] He matters to me. He matters to me. He matters to me. My boys got the fight in that day, right? We in nine o'clock service. They get into it. They get the fight. You know, they boys, they, they football, too. So, everybody lifting weights.
[music] And and big, you know, Mason, he's like, "What you want? What you want?" Xander like, "Bro," and they, I know Xander's just like, "All right, let's go." And so they get the tussling back there, and I have to get out of preacher and go in the back, and I'm talking to them, and everything in me was wanting to hit both. Like, like I'm sitting there looking at them, and in my head, like, "How am I up here preaching and..."
[laughter] "...y'all in the back locked up?" Fell, you remember you got the tussling with your brother, your cousin, and y'all that? I'm like, "Bro, you know what I thought about?" See, y'all don't know how many teenage funerals I've had to do. So, watch this. Watch this. Watch this. So, I'mma show, I'm very disappointed in how y'all acting. Watch this. I'm disappointed in your act, not in you. I love you. I want the best for you. You matter to me. All my teenagers, when the last time you just took time and said, "Mama, I want to say thank you"? Last time, you know, you think about it. That lady ain't never missed nothing. Every pair of Jays on your feet, never missed a basketball game, never missed a football game, whatever it took. But do we take the familiar for granted? Parents, when the last time you looked at that child and said, "You know what? Go and tell you thank you." My oldest son, Xander, texted me last week. He was like, "Dad, I want to say thank you for all you do for us, man. You're just the best. And I know sometimes I'm a pain in the butt." I said, "Stop." I said, "You're not a pain in the butt. You're a teenager. You're just growing up and you're feeling yourself at times. You're finding your way. You're driving." I said, "I ain't no, that ain't being a pain in the butt. That's just living. I, I don't even want you to think you're a burden to me. You're not a burden. That's part of it. I was way worse than you. So, I just want to thank you for not being me." Am I preaching to anybody? But when is the last time you said to your child, "Come here. I thank you, man. You're a good kid. You're a good kid, man. You are a good kid." Like, "I don't know what I did to deserve a child like you." And if you never get a D1 scholarship, if you never become all this stuff, you say, "I want to make it very clear. I love you." All my spouses, all my couples. When the last time you told them thank you for something outside of bringing you food, outside of him paying? Did your baby be a baby? Okay. Thank you. When the last time you just walked in the room, come here. I want to tell you thank you. Like, "I see your growth. I see your growth and you're trying your best. I ain't had to tell you to take that out but two times this week." Babe, come here, babe. You know, I'm trying something different. You know, Pastor Mike said we got to tell. Move the W. So, uh, you know, you all right? You all right? You all right? You all right? Woo. That was good, was it? No, that ain't it. Go deeper. But I want to say thank you. Ain't no way I'm me without you. I inherently blow stuff. Hearing you tell me that I'm something matters to me. I want to ask you that. You want to know why I want to ask you that? Because I want to ask you this question right here: What if you're asking God for something when the something you're asking him for is locked in what you have, but your gratefulness for it will unlock it? And I'll finish the rest next week. But for me, and I'm, I'm pushing everybody, and I got to get you out of here. When is the last time you told God thank you? God, in this moment, thank you. God, thank you. God, thank you. God, thank you. That's the whole prayer. God, thank you. Ah, God, thank you. God, thank you. God, I thank you. Oo, God, I thank you. God, I thank you. God, I thank you. God, forgive me for every place I didn't properly. Thank you. 'Cause God, you've been good to me. Thank you.
[singing] Lord. [music] Thank you, Lord. Thank you. You, Lord. [singing and music] I just want to thank you. Somebody tell God thank you right there. Church, come on. Stand to your feet all over the room, man. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Hey, man. I want to say this to you, man. We're approaching Thanksgiving, and you'll be surprised how many people wrestle with anxiety. Uh, maybe you're dealing with a loved one not being here, and Thanksgiving is just not the same. You know, that's something I wrestle with in my life. My grandmother was the centerpiece of our whole family. She's not here anymore. So, I don't even feel like getting up, going to the grandma. It, it's just not the same. Family sometimes don't even feel like family. But that's because all of us just need to get a gratitude adjustment. That's why this year I'm looking forward to just walking in. Hey, hey, Mike. Here, Mike. And I'm the life of the party. I'mma start some good family mess. Make everybody laugh. Ask who cooked this. Like, "Oh, oh, no. You know, you no good." And what? Like, that's me. Because I'm realizing now, Mike, you got everything you ever needed in life. I'm going to say this to you. You have everything you could ever want out of life if you learn to be grateful for what you have right now. I mean this, man. So, and I mean this, man. This week, I really want to push each and every one of you to find gratitude. Who can do that for me this week? Find gratitude. A gratitude adjustment. I want you, literally, hear me. I told my team this, and I'm going to tell you this, and we're going home. We have a good mindset. Somebody say, "Good." Good. Preacher, this is what this means. A good mindset literally means if God comes through, I say, "Good God. I thank you." If God don't, "Good. Let's keep working." See, see, when you live at good, you don't be on these highs when stuff don't go up and go down. So for me, it's like, good. The boys make a good grade. Good, man. That's the way to do it. They don't make a good grade. All right. Good. Good. Did you do your best? Let's keep locking. Let's keep locking. Let's keep locking. I try to live at good. And I really want to push each and every one of you to have a spirit of gratefulness. I love you so, so, so very much, man. I mean this. It means the world to me that you rock with us every week, be it in the room or online. We [music] love you. Were you blessed today? Is that all right? Clap your hands, man. [music] Just a spirit of gratefulness. I love you. Uh, a couple of announcements for everybody. Um, here's the announcement. God's been good to you. And I want you to walk out of this room today understanding. Some of you, it's a quick text to a parent. Say, "Hey, I don't want nothing. I just want to tell you I love you." You're going to shock them so hard they all right? "Damn, they going to call the auntie, them. Hey, y'all check on your girl. She calling around telling everybody they she love them. Is it her time?" Like, "No, I'm just telling you I love you." You know that's what we going to be about. Love and honor and respect and being who God called us to be. So I love you so much. To all of my volunteers, I want to tell you, we're grateful for you. If you don't do what you do, we can't do none of what you see. To every man standing in the parking lot. Keep in mind, they get here at 7:30 on Sunday to put out every cone, to get all the trash out the parking lot, to make sure you can have what you need when you get here. To all of my children's workers who get here early, to my team, my musicians who drive from Atlanta to come play with us and rock with us and do everything. To my leadership who just serves faithfully, to the family, uh, who so willingly avails and gives yourself, uh, and allow me to be who God's called me to be. To every person in this room, man. I want you to leave here with a spirit of thank you, of gratefulness. All right? I love you. Father God, I say thank you for all you've done. God, I come against anxiety. I come against depression. I come against that feeling of loneliness during this season. And I ask right now in the name of Jesus that you grant them a community of people who will help them become what you called them to be. God, some of them have lost parents this year, God. Stephanies and uh, Kurans, and so many of them are dealing with holidays, and this may be the first or second holiday without moms. So it's rough and it's difficult. So God, right now, I ask that you give them a newfound strength. God, let a child, let someone just really overcompensate for the love they need in that season. God, if I had 10,000 tongues, I couldn't thank you enough for just being God. And now, God, I pray your will. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. It is in Jesus' name we pray.
[music] And everybody said, "Amen." Tell somebody you love them. I love you guys so much. We are. I'll see you next Sunday. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. Wow. Yes, God. What an incredible word. So good. It was powerful. It was life-changing, as it always is. And I just love to see people, you know, even I was glancing online to see people from all over just enjoying the word. How it just continues to remind me of how God is using us to do so much more than we probably could have ever imagined. Uh, and I'm just thankful. And maybe you were blessed. You're watching this. Well, you say, "I want to give my life to Christ. I want to become a part of the Rock City family." How can they do that? Absolutely. You can text one word, that is "HOME," to 28950. The Bible says, "The day you hear my voice, harden not your heart." So today is a good day to say yes. Yes. Harden not your heart. Say yes today. Um, and I want to say this, you know, because we talked about how many people we're reaching and all that we're doing. We're only doing it because, if we're being honest, that's right. Can I be honest? Because of your faithfulness, your support, you're giving because you're not giving to a church, you're giving through a church. And lives are being impacted. Lives are being saved. Uh, [music] people are coming to know who Jesus is in a real way. And so if you're giving today, you see all the ways on the screen. You have one particular way that you like to give. Absolutely. That's text to give. I rock the amount that can be 100, 1,000, 1 million. Listen, somebody should have said, "I receive." There is no limit when God is in it. So, you have a number of different ways that you can give, and you also have a number of different ways that you can receive this word. Pastor Mike says that DVO energy is our daily discipleship. Yep. Absolutely. And so you can join us bright and early in the morning at 7:21 a.m. Central Standard Time. We're going to talk about this word, how we can apply it to our life. You don't want to miss it. All week is going to be crazy. Devil energy. And of course, Thanksgiving is coming up. Once again, happy Thanksgiving to everybody. Be thankful. Take me back. Is the day of [singing] God's been so good to me every day. What are you doing? Every day he's blessing. Okay. [screaming] That's yeah, I like that. [laughter] Hey, have a great Thanksgiving week, man. Listen, we can always find something to complain about, but choose to be thankful. Choose to be grateful for all that God's doing in your life. We love y'all so much. [music] We can't wait to see you. Until next time, God bless you. Peace. Peace.