Transcription
**Joshua 6:2**
I want to start a fresh series today entitled "It's On."
Look at what it says: the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and his fighting men."
I want to talk today from the topic, real simple, "It's On."
In this Vision series, whenever I teach, I teach in series. Why is that, Pastor Mike? I want to make you an educated, well-learned congregation.
Growing up, I didn’t learn like everybody else learned. I was even labeled a problem child. I talked too much in class; I was the class clown. But when it came down to it, we discovered I was bored. If you handed me a sheet of paper and told me to read it, I just couldn’t comprehend it. I was more of a visual learner. I had to learn like that.
So, I didn’t get things in one sitting, and I just don’t believe that when it comes to our walk with God, one 30-minute message is going to equip you for 30 years of fighting. Did you catch what I just said right there?
So, I want to do a Vision series. If you put that in your notes: a Vision series.
I want to pause and parenthetically digress because I believe what I teach from the pulpit you can take and make applicable to your life. Make it applicable. What does that mean, PMJ? Even in your circles—put this in your notes—your relationships, your friendships, and your business partnerships. I believe those relationships should be built in series. That’s rich.
I believe you should get your close friends together and say, "Hey, I want to do this for the next three months. We worked hard; let’s just have some fun. And if there’s some stuff that’s stressing us out, let’s learn how to communicate that."
But then coming off, you might need to say, "Hey, for these next three months, it ain’t playtime. Let’s lock in. By November, all of us need our vision for 2024." Did you catch what I just said right there?
Now, I’ve discovered that it’s crowded when it’s time to party, but it’s empty when it’s time to plan. If you’re going to be in my life, you don’t have to say anything, but you’re going to have to have a vision to be in my life.
Why? In this Vision series, what’s my goal, Pastor Mike? My goal is to unpack how—and it’s right there on your screen—it’s on.
What does "It’s On" mean? "It’s On" is not just a statement but a commitment to taking your life. This is good: from expectations to execution. That’s critical. I want to take you from expectation to execution.
So when I say "It’s On," I’m not just talking about a building opening because we’re not going to play that game that the moment the doors open, it’s open. No, no, it’s not just a moment; it’s a movement that’s happening in your life.
So when we say "It’s On," I like to give you verbiage, colloquialisms that you can take and just flip your life with. What does "It’s On" mean? I am moving from expectation to execution.
Alright, I’m going to tell you why church gets on my nerves. Because if I was to shout, "Who’s expecting it?" the whole room would go crazy. But if I said, "Who’s executing it?" I wouldn’t find that many people.
And this is where you’ve got to be careful because this is why people who never got to know you didn’t like you when they saw you. It’s because they quickly realized you’re not just a spectator; you’re an executioner.
What does it mean to shift from expectation to execution? Here it is: I am shifting. I’m going to run from waiting on it to walking in it.
I don’t think you heard what I just said. I am shifting from waiting on it to walking in it. I am shifting this year from praying about it to protecting what you prayed about. Y’all don’t hear what I just said.
I am shifting from vision to victory. This is critical. And what I’m telling you now is in this season of your life, you’ve got to have vision. You have to have vision.
Why is that important, PMJ? Because the problem is most of us have sight, not vision. Sight is what we see with our eyes open; vision is what we see with our eyes closed. Sight is what I see with the eyes on my head; vision is what I see with the eyes in my heart.
This is why you be trying to fix people that everybody else can clearly see are broken. It’s because they’re looking at them with the eyes in their head, but you’re looking at them with the eyes in your heart.
And your circle is looking at you like, "You can’t tell they’re a snake? You can’t tell they’re using you? You can’t tell they ain’t no good?"
And the problem is I was cursed with this blessing that I don’t see people with these eyes; I see people with these. And that’s why so many times your heart gets broken.
Sight helps you see today; vision helps you see tomorrow.
And I want to free you real quickly because the question I need you to ask today is: Do you have sight or do you have vision?
Do you have sight or do you have vision?
PMJ, put this in your notes: The poorest person in the world is not the person without money, but the poorest person in the world is the person without vision.
Oh, I got vision! Pray for me; I got vision! I got vision!
No, I would sit in the lobby of this building four years ago. I would call the realtor, ask him if he would unlock the door. They would leave the door in that hall cracked open. I would sit in there by myself and do all my work and write my sermons.
Then he would come back and say, "What you doing?" I said, "I’m planning what I’m going to preach when I get here." Y’all don’t hear me; that’s vision!
No, that’s vision! I was able to tell my girl, "Now this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to move to this extended stay for about seven years. We’re going to move to this extended stay, and this is what we’re going to do: We’re not going to buy nothing. Do me a favor, baby girl, do you believe? Huh? Do you believe? Do you believe?"
I believe this is what we’re going to do. This is vision! Go get your hair braided because if you get your hair braided, you don’t have to get it done every two weeks.
Okay, so I need you to get some braids, and I need you to rock them braids for about four months if you don’t mind. Edges may be coming out, but just grease them down for me.
Because if you buy into the vision, if we do what we have to now, we’ll be able to do what we want to.
And this is why you’ve got to do an inventory of your circle because it’s hard to fulfill your vision around sight people.
Michael, I’m sorry, but you don’t see what I see. I’m preaching to three of y’all. I see goodness and mercy. I see businesses. I see books. I see more in you than sometimes you see in yourself because I got vision.
And the only thing worse than being blind is having sight.
Okay, okay, okay, okay. The only thing worse than being blind is having sight.
Okay, oh my God! That’s what my professors at Y Divinity call theomusis—on-the-spot revelation.
This is going to blow your mind. Who remembers Bartimaeus? Who remembers Bartimaeus?
Okay, you remember Bartimaeus. What was he? Alright, he was blind, and he heard that Jesus was coming.
And he thought to himself, "Alright," and he starts screaming, "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!"
And the people who had sight told the brother who had vision, "Y’all missed it! Y’all missed it!"
Bartimaeus was blind; he heard that his solution was in the area, so he put a plan together. In his blindness, he had vision.
He said, "What I’m going to do is start screaming as loud as I can because my eyes don’t work, but my voice does."
And some of y’all are going to stay where you are because you’re too busy crying about what doesn’t work when you should be working.
I’m preaching to three of y’all already. Just look around you and tell them, "I got vision! Stay away from me!"
Bartimaeus says, "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!"
And folk who had what he had didn’t have it, telling him to be quiet, be quiet, be quiet. Uh-uh!
The only thing worse than being blind is having sight with no vision.
Jesus turns around and says, "Bring him to me."
I’m about to run! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!
If Jesus says, "Bring who?" is he talking to? The very people who were telling him to be quiet.
And he will make your enemies... You’re so busy cussing folk out when if you just stuck to your vision, the very people who were trying to kill it are going to have to help you in it.
Do me a favor: I don’t want you fussing and cussing with nobody else. Just get in your car and say to yourself, "They’re going to be working for me in six months. They don’t even know it!"
Why? Because when God’s got His hand on you, it ain’t a devil, a hater, a mean mama, or a fake friend that can block your vision.
It’s all night!
Watch this: what good does Bartimaeus say? Jesus says, "Bring him to me," and he gives him his sight.
Here’s what’s crazy: I want to ask you this question. I want to ask you this question. I want to ask you this question. I want to ask you this question: Have you ever stopped to consider that Bartimaeus wasn’t the only person whose eyes got opened that day?
I’ve got to go. I need a better church. I like this church, but I kind of don’t like this church because y’all are kind of too young for me. I want an old church.
Now, when I was younger, I wanted a young, fly church. Now that I’m kind of older, I think I want an old church because y’all make me work too hard.
I be dropping so much heat. I want to do this better. I’ve got to drop vision. I want an old church with ghetto guys. That’s what I want.
I want a church mother who’s going to say thank you, but then I want a hood dude going to be like, "Talk that talk!"
I need a mix between battle rap and a Baptist church somewhere in there because y’all be missing it.
What if I told you that Bartimaeus wasn’t the only person who got their eyes opened? Your family, your friends, and your circle would treat you better if they realized when God did it for you, it opened their eyes to see He could do it for them.
Watch this: now, this is why you’ve been saying, "If you ever want to learn the secret to God, look at what you say naturally."
The devil hides things in plain sight. When you hear something that you didn’t know, you say out your mouth, "Oh, that opened my eyes!" That’s an eye-opener.
And this is biblical because Proverbs 29:18 says, "If people can’t see what God’s doing, they stumble all over themselves. But when they attend to what He reveals, they are the most blessed."
You missed it!
Do I need to read it again?
If people can’t see what God is doing, oh my God!
Oh my God! I need you to put this scripture in your phone, please. If you don’t do anything else, put it in your notes. After you put it in your notes, every morning I want you to read it, and I need it in your heart.
Alright, if you really love it, just get it tatted somewhere, like right here. Proverbs 29:18, right here. You know you’ve got worse tattoos anyway.
Let’s not play games. You’ve got a whole tattoo right here, and we don’t even know what that really says if we tell the truth.
Proverbs 29:18, because I’m going to read it. This should be your prerequisite for friendships, business alliances, partnerships, and more.
If people—alright, so if—underline "if." "If" is a conditional contract.
We’re going to break this scripture down. Roy, it is a conditional contract.
If my people who are called by my name would seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I would hear from heaven and heal their land.
Why do you get that? If you do your part!
So leave that scripture up there. Underline "if."
It is a conditional contract.
My boys tried to hold me to that right there.
Okay, I tell my boys, "I’m going to do so and so if you do so and so."
They come back in there, "But Dad, you said..."
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! You ain’t did nothing! Your mama asked you! Contract voided!
And you’re sitting in church, sitting at home, blaming God for certain doors that didn’t open for you when you broke the contract.
"God, you told me when I took this job I was going to be blessed."
I also told you to stay away from certain stuff!
If—conditional contract.
People—underline "people." Under "people," I want you to put your circle, your sphere of influence.
So let’s read it. We need to break the scripture down.
Here is "if" under "if." Here is a conditional contract for those in my life. If you can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves.
Now go back to "people," and above "people" in your life, put "myself included."
Because many of you keep falling because you don’t see it.
This is what your life looks like: January, February, March, April. This is a whole year you’ve been doing this, and God’s like, "That ain’t even the devil; you’re clumsy because you can’t see it!"
No, no! Who’s ever been walking through your house and hit your foot on something that you didn’t put there?
It will make you almost fight somebody! Don’t step on a toy!
No, don’t let somebody leave something out because you’re so used to walking in your area in the dark that even in darkness, you walk in a type of boldness.
Because you know if I get out of my bed and take six steps, that’s the door.
Then you got slick and say you don’t even look at the light switch; you just...
And what I’m telling you is, who told you to celebrate the fact that you are winning in darkness?
This is my season to stop stumbling, Michael, over myself.
Why, Pastor Mike? Here’s the condition.
Because if I attend to what He reveals—help me, God!
I like this phrase: "are the most blessed."
Now you didn’t have church with me, and it’s cool in the G. I’m going to have church by myself.
I want to declare everybody look at your neighbor and say, "Neighbor, you’re blessed! You’re blessed! And I’m happy for you!"
But what I’m going for is "most blessed."
Y’all missed what I just said!
Michael, there are levels!
This is why I need you to look at this phrase. I’m watching this phrase; it’s on the screen.
When they attend to what He reveals—attend!
Now put this in your notes: "attend" can mean my presence or my participation.
We don’t talk like that anymore.
Alright, we don’t talk like that anymore.
We don’t say things like, "I need you to attend to your chores."
"I need you to attend to your health."
No, no!
So when I see the word "attend" biblically, that is two P’s: my presence and my participation.
Michael, that’s why I’m so proud.
And if you’re watching from all over the world and you’re looking at the people in the sanctuary and you’re saying to yourself, "Who are all those members?"
They’re not just members; this is a room full of people who attend.
Alright, did you put that in your notes? Attend—two P’s come with attend.
What are the P’s? Presence and participation.
Now, with that said, are you frustrated with some of the people in your life because they’re in attendance but not attending?
Do I need to run that back?
See, that’s why I need a battle rap.
Y’all don’t thank you!
Will you tell me to run that back?
Do I need to run that back?
Are you frustrated?
I say, "Yo, are you frustrated because you have people who are in attendance but not attending?"
It’s probably a fight at my house right now.
Truthfully, I don’t have... It’s probably a fight at my house right now because I’ve got three big boys: 16, 15, 14. Only one of them is in attendance and attending.
I’m walking through, "Hey boys, make sure y’all take that trash out, feed the dog, and do so and so."
And I notice Mike is the only one doing everything.
Mason, superstar football, thinks he’s above the law.
Xander went to homecoming yesterday; he still has on his tuxedo pants, right?
So Xander’s walking around, shirt off, tuxedo pants like he don’t want to take it off.
You remember them days, right?
He’s got to go back today, so he better get his money’s worth.
So I notice Mike taking out the trash, Mike feeding the dog.
So I told everybody before I love, "Hey boys, get in here, get in here, get in here! Y’all good? Love y’all! Mike, here you go!"
And I slipped him some money openly.
"Mike, here you go, baby! Keep doing your thing!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What’s going on? What’s going on?"
And that’s how you’ve been looking all year.
You could have prayed in February, been tithing in March, living right this summer.
Now you’re in a panic because you’ve got a deadline attached to what God already prophesied over your life.
"Dad, what’s going on?"
I said, "No, I’ve been asking y’all to do stuff."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
I said, "But Mike’s been the only one doing it. I’m not going to reward you for attendance because partial agreement is still rebellion."
Michael, if you ain’t going to do your part, I’d rather you not even show up.
So I don’t even expect you to be what you should be.
I need the people in my life this year to be present and participate.
That when I’m weak, be a shoulder, but when I’m strong, keep fighting with me.
I need you to look at your neighbor and say, "Neighbor, you done messed around and sat next to the right person!"
Somebody in the chat ought to just type, "Here I go!"
Because I will be present, and I will participate.
I will pray for you and help pay a bill if I have to.
You don’t find too many people like that.
I’m different!
I’m different!
Y’all don’t hear me this morning; I’m different!
I’m different!
That’s why you don’t have to chase nobody in your life.
"Well, I just think this ain’t going to work out for me."
Okay, God bless you!
No, I’m different, baby!
It’s going to hit you in six months what you had because it’s a whole lot of people who will be present when you got it but will leave you when you don’t.
I’m the type of person that I will be present, and I will participate.
Now hear me, hear me, James.
This is cold!
R. Stefano, this is cold!
I do not think I’m so cold of a pastor that people are going to come to church because I preach.
I want to say something that you may never hear a pastor say: I am nothing without three entities: Heaven, y’all—the ones who are present and participating—and hell.
I’ve learned more from my hell than I learned from a blessing from Heaven.
When God opened the door, I praised my way through it.
When the devil slammed the door, I had to pray my way through it.
Am I preaching to anybody?
You ought to look at your neighbor and say, "I got two guns: praise and prayer. And if you mess with me, both of them..."
That’s why people don’t know what to do with you because you be shouting when you get the job, then you know how to pray when they hate on you on the job.
You shouted when you closed on the house and then praised when the mortgage got behind.
You shouted when you got the relationship and then prayed when they lost their mind.
Look at your neighbor and say, "Neighbor, I’mma praise, and you pray. And if we work together, God’s getting ready to turn it around!"
Vision!
Somebody say vision!
So look at this: this is why I need participation and presence.
To every man who was standing outside today and it started drizzling, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
That’s participation and presence.
To every person who was standing in the lobby loving on people, thank you! That’s participation and presence.
To every person who sang up here today, I know certain days you don’t feel your best. Thank you! That’s participation.
I wish that boy right there lived in Birmingham—cold-blooded!
But do you know he drives from Atlanta every Sunday morning?
I want the whole church to look at him and say thank you!
Here’s your homework for this week: you done spent 40 weeks talking about your haters.
This week, on your story or somewhere, you ought to just post "thank you" and start thanking the ones who stayed in attendance and stayed attending.
Now put this in your notes: you are a hypocrite if you judge people who don’t have perfect attendance.
"Well, they left me for three months."
So you left God for three years!
Sometimes you have to disconnect because there’s something God’s got to do in them, and it’s something God’s got to do in you.
Am I preaching to anybody?
That ain’t God!
I don’t get that! That ain’t God!
Okay, okay!
In the Book of Malachi, God tells His prophets, "I’mma turn the hearts of the sons to the fathers and the hearts of the fathers to the sons."
Then He’s quiet for 300, 400 years.
A couple hundred years, Heaven don’t speak.
The next time we hear from God, Jesus is being baptized, and He says, "This is my beloved Son."
So should we not serve a God who was silent or, in your opinion, missing?
I don’t need—when it comes to your vision—perfect attendance as a prerequisite.
No, I need you to catch this.
Why? That’s why I’m telling you right now to the people in this room, I need you.
I need you!
There are thousands of people getting ready to descend on Birmingham, Alabama.
I can’t do it by myself!
I need you!
And I don’t want you to think that what you do is insignificant.
Oh, I need you!
To every teenager in this room right now, especially my young brothers, I need you!
We did a survey, and it’s close to almost 600-700 young boys, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
I would love for them to see young brothers doing it the right way.
I need you!
Every man, listen to me right now.
Every man, listen to me right now.
You have no idea because I don’t hide nothing from my church.
I haven’t slept probably in four days.
From the moment I sent that text, "It’s On," it’s like something’s been trying to torment me in my sleep.
I’ve been waking up out of my sleep, anxiety.
"Okay, is this done? I hope they don’t... Okay, God, God, God, God, God!"
And yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend the whole day with my daddy.
And I’m sitting there this morning, and it hit me: as much as I’ve done in my life—life awards, great church, music, all this stuff—I need that man.
He brought a level of peace, affirmation.
And so every man listening to me, I know that relationship may be crazy, but I need you to go to bed tonight and wake up in the morning and realize they need me!
They need me!
They need my presence and my participation!
Michael, cut a fool every morning that I don’t wake up!
Y’all missed what I just said right there!
Every morning he wakes up, if I don’t get out of the bed, it’s almost hell trying to get him dressed, trying to get him ready, trying to get him right.
It only takes me—I don’t even get out of the bed most days.
Ask me what I say.
"Hey!"
Y’all don’t—y’all missed what I just said!
I don’t go in there; I don’t put no clothes on.
I just roll over and shout, "Hey!"
One "Hey" from me tells him in another room, "Don’t make me come!"
That might be why they said your praise is a weapon!
Seven of y’all might just need to shout, "Hey! Get your hands off my mind! Hey! Get your hands off my children! Hey! Get your hands off my vision!"
You need it!
To every person who wakes up, this is why I’m telling you I need more people on DVO energy.
DVO energy starts at 7:21 Central Time.
That means they have to be up at 6:30 a.m. every morning just to present that daily devotional.
We should thank them for that!
To every person who’s ever put anything in the offering, if you’ve sown, if you’ve tithed, if you’ve ever just said thank you, hear me when I say this.
I heard Dr. Darius Daniels say this, and I never forgot it.
He said, "Mike, vision is a picture of God’s preferred future for your life."
You might want to put that in your notes: vision is a picture of God’s preferred future for your life.
Now I want you to understand that because I didn’t say vision is the future of your plan; it’s God’s plan.
Yeah, God’s plan!
Look at this: throughout history, God has been casting His preferred future over people.
Watch this: He did it with Abraham in Genesis 12.
Samuel walks up to Gideon, who’s never fought a day in his life, and he tells Gideon, "Oh, valiant warrior!"
He gives him a vision of his preferred future.
And in today’s text, He walks up to Joshua.
Now keep in mind, Jericho is a city surrounded by a huge wall.
A wall was to protect the city from invasion.
I want to play on words.
Y’all know I’m a battle rap in my head.
Y’all know I love it!
Then the most brilliant brothers on the face of the planet—if you ever want to see brilliance personified, don’t just listen to what they’re saying because you may not be able to, but if you just listen to how they approach words and metaphors and triple entendres.
So when I approach vision, sometimes I approach my thoughts from a battle standpoint.
I want to free you real quick.
Why did they build the city wall of Jericho? To protect from invasion.
I want you to write the word "invasion."
Okay, I can tell how some of y’all looked at me; you don’t know how to spell it.
Okay, I’m going to spell it for you.
I know that look; I have that look a whole lot when I be in church.
So I just write the first letter, then I just write it out like cursive.
I know what it means! Forget y’all!
Invasion: I-N-V-A-S-I-O-N.
No, y’all ain’t clapping like I’m proud of myself!
Did you spell it?
So invasion—Pastor Mike Jr.’s approach to invasion—I’m going to define it how I see it.
Invasion always takes place in vision.
An invasion is when enemies and distractions try to overtake your vision.
Michael, and what happens right here, I need you to catch this.
In verse two, it says, "The Lord said to Joshua, 'See! I have delivered Jericho into your hands.'"
Now I want to pause and parenthetically digress.
You might want to underline that: "See, I have delivered."
Underline that: "I have delivered."
God tells Joshua the vision as if it’s already happened.
He tells Joshua what He’s going to do while Joshua’s outside the wall before he made it.
But think about it: "I have delivered."
Somebody say, "I have delivered."
Do I have any English majors in the chat? Any English majors in here?
Okay, cool! Y’all can’t spell either!
So all my English majors will attest that this is past tense.
I know that much!
"I have delivered" is past tense, meaning it’s already done.
Now this is where I find tension in the text because the people have yet to even enter Jericho.
So today, I want to give you a new part of speech.
If "I have delivered" is past tense, which means it’s already done, but the children of Israel have not even entered Jericho yet, I want to introduce a new part of speech called the prophetic perfect tense.
Past tense means it’s already happened.
God talks to Joshua in past tense about something that has not happened as if it has already happened.
I want to introduce something we like to call prophetic perfect tense: revealing a future result in a way that suggests it’s already done.
What is prophetic perfect tense?
Okay, here it is.
Who’s believing God for something?
What are you believing God for?
My marriage? Your marriage?
Okay, alright, so what’s your first name? Government name?
Alexis!
The marriage is successful and thriving, and you guys are mentoring young couples.
But then you go home, and y’all are probably still fussing.
But God told you, "See!"
Prophecy is past tense in the present tense that we now have to call prophetic perfect tense, meaning, "Michael, I’m going to run. Joshua, even though you haven’t completed the vision, I have already given you the victory."
I’m telling you the end before you get frustrated in the middle.
Michael, Michael!
So He said, "I’m telling you the end—victory—at the beginning because you’re going to catch hell."
Y’all slow!
Y’all slow!
Y’all slow!
This is why some of y’all are being crybabies.
I’m not even going to play with you today.
Let’s not play with it!
Stop being a baby right now!
"I can’t believe..."
Go back to the vision!
Put this in your notes because vision provides the push through trauma.
Vision—you don’t have to hide your praise, brother!
Get your praise on!
Vision provides the push through trauma.
It provides...
You want to know why I didn’t mind staying at the Rhyme Garden in Exit 133 Kilgore Memorial, having to roll quarters every Friday to pay that extended stay, listening to that lady talk to me like I was trash?
You want to know why when I had to file bankruptcy and I was standing in there—and if you ever had to do it, they make you come into an open room and they say all your business in front of everybody?
You want to know why I let them take my car back about seven, eight, nine years ago?
Let them have the car back and said, "It’s cool!"
You want to know why I still don’t necessarily even get paid what I should get paid?
Now, if you come to this church tomorrow, the sanctuary’s got lights, the wall lobby’s got everything, but if you went to my office, it ain’t nothing in it right now but a fold-down table.
You want to know why?
Because I got the vision!
I knew that I may be struggling in the middle, but if I remember what He told me at the beginning, I remember what the end is going to look like.
I don’t know who I’m talking to in here, but anybody can shout on the end of a thing.
It takes another level of praise to shout in the middle of it.
I’m going to give you 30 seconds.
It may be rough right now; it may be crazy right now.
But if you got vision, you ought to shout!
Look at somebody and tell them, "It’s on!"
Now I got vision, baby! The fight is fixed!
I’m going to say it again: the fight is fixed!
Because if we shout, we’re going to miss it.
What I’m telling you is to every entrepreneur, stop judging people’s end when you’re in the middle.
Oh my God!
You got 5 million followers; you just sold a New York Times bestseller; you just got a Grammy; you’re on the Forbes 100 list.
Oh my God!
So-and-so just got another promotion.
Were you present for their middle season?
I want to ask you a question.
Oh my God!
I pray I don’t scare people.
What is this considered?
What is this considered?
What is this considered?
What is this finger considered?
The middle!
Which one is the longest?
So you want to be great with a pinky season?
But look at this!
I want to ask you this question.
I want to ask you this question.
I want to ask you this question.
I want to ask you this question: Is that middle finger the longest because it’s naturally longer, or is it situated higher because the pinky is low?
If you judge by the knuckle, the pinky is low; the thumb is on the bottom.
But at the top of my hand is my middle finger, which means even though the middle season is longer, it’s a whole lot further than where you come from.
And I need you to catch this!
I need you to catch this!
He said, and I want you to put this scripture on the thing.
He says to Joshua, "See!"
I’m trying to be dignified.
I even wore my little blazer today because I was going to try to look pastoral, but I had to keep my jeans on so you can see I’m kind of gangster down here.
But then I’m a pastoral up here.
But it’s one thing I can’t take; it’s good scripture.
The Lord said to Joshua, "See!"
Y’all, I don’t think y’all see what I’m saying!
I have...
What do you do when God tells you to see something that you cannot see?
Here’s a wall that nobody ever made it through.
The wall that nobody’s made it through—the deal that nobody in your family has ever made it to.
See, that wall just ain’t physical because it’s a whole lot of Jericho walls in some of our lives.
Look at this!
"God, I hear you, but all I see is walls."
And God said, "Mike, because you’re looking at it."
See, sight—you caught that, James?
Sight sees the wall; vision sees through the wall.
I’m giving you permission this week to go to that building that everybody else said is abandoned and ugly, and I’m giving you permission to go see it!
Y’all missed it!
Y’all missed it!
I’m giving you permission right now to go see it!
Because certain people are going to look at it and say, "You want that raggedy, broke-down building?"
But you got vision!
You’re going to be walking through it like, "No, I’m going to put the stuff over here, and I’m going to knock this wall down."
And do I need you to walk to the dealership this week?
And I know your credit says no, but I need you to walk with dignity and be like, "Yeah, 24 months, this done right here! I already see it!"
As a matter of fact, go ahead and put your children in the back seat and act like you’re dropping them off at school.
Like, "Stop! Don’t waste nothing!"
Take one of your messy friends and put them in the passenger seat and say, "Don’t eat nothing in my car!"
Why? Because I see what you don’t!
Michael, oh hear me!
This is why some people are confused about your praise because they can’t see what you see.
Visionaries may look at the same thing, but they don’t see it the same way.
I’m going to say it again: visionaries may look at the same thing, but they don’t see it the same way.
You see a wall; I see a way.
You see a family that ain’t got no millionaires; I see an opportunity to be the first.
You see a bad doctor’s report; I see a testimony that’s going to tell the church up in six months.
I need you to touch your neighbor and say, "Neighbor, do you see what I see?"
He says, "March around that city once."
Sit down!
Y’all scaring me just a little bit!
Sit down!
Alright, I got to be...
I don’t want to see if we just shout right here.
You’re going to go home thinking that the only reason God’s giving you vision is so you can have something.
God does not give you vision so you can have something; He gives you vision so He can have you!
I need to say that!
I got to say that better!
God does not give you vision so you can have something; He gives you vision so He can have you!
God got me trapped!
The vision’s too big for me to leave!
He got me trapped!
He got me trapped!
I said certain stuff out my mouth.
I said, "Bro, man, bro!"
I said too much stuff out my mouth; I’m trapped now!
Turning down engagements, not performing places I really want to perform, not being able to do what I need to do, etc., etc.
I’m missing out on opportunities that my whole team’s telling me I’m crazy for.
But the vision I set before my boys was that, "Hey, Dad’s going to go hard as he can January through August."
My church knows this before the whole world knew who we were.
January through August, we would have all these crazy events.
We would get to the Madness Behind the Mascara; thousands of women would come to our Women’s Conference.
After that, y’all barely saw me.
I would preach on Sunday; I had stopped doing Bible study.
Why?
I made my boys a promise I would coach flag football with them.
I wouldn’t miss nothing.
And I believe because I’ve been honoring that vision, God’s been faithful.
Did you catch that?
Let me free you!
The moment you say out your mouth, "God said it," He’s going to test it!
Hear me!
One of my anxieties was my boys in high school.
You know, just so much happens in football locker rooms and in certain cultures.
And living out here sometimes, they have to walk a fine balance.
Sometimes to be African-American in this context means you have to be hyper-visible and invisible, which means oftentimes they don’t see you until you do something.
Then the moment they see you, you just look like everybody else.
So you want to know what I started doing three months, three years ago?
Interceding and praying that God would send administration who look like them and serve where we serve.
Vision!
And what I’m trying to get you to realize now is I need you to catch this!
He tells him, "March around the city once with all the armed men."
Underline that: "armed men."
This is good, baby girl!
Look at this!
What does "armed men" mean?
"Armed men" is an example of intercession.
"Armed men" is an example, Michael, of intercession—a metaphor for the role that prayer plays in the vision.
You can’t just work; you also need to pray.
Because if you just work, that is the equivalent of trying to push the wall.
No!
So He says, "I need you to look what He says."
And it’s right there on your screen.
Leave verse three and four up there for a second.
"March around the city once with all the armed men."
He says, "Take prayer with you!"
Y’all are going to do some incredible things, score movies, do all types of stuff, play on major stages.
Hear me when I say this: I’ve been in rooms, and I never name-drop ever in life; that ain’t what I do.
But I’ve been sitting in rooms recently that I don’t know how I’m in it.
How I’m in it?
And I just sit quiet because I realize this is above me.
And I sit quiet, but as I’m looking at it, the whole while I’m in there, I’m interceding.
I’m only preaching to three of y’all who don’t have to pray under your breath before, "Hey, how you doing?"
I’m only talking to the three of y’all who don’t went into a full-fledged tongue.
See, you ain’t stepped into a big opportunity until you ratchet and right!
I’m talking about you in the car on your way like, "Hey!"
Then the closer you get there, "Cut that off right now! Father God, in Jesus’ name!"
I’m only preaching to five of y’all who don’t have to call on Father God right now!
"Father God, in Jesus’ name, I ask that you move like never before! God, I’m getting ready to go to this job opportunity, God, and Lord knows I just need favor!"
Here’s where it gets real!
God, hide what’s on my background check in Jesus’ name!
"Armed men"—that’s a metaphoric euphemism for prayer!
So as we prepare to come to church next week, I need y’all praying now!
I want to do this: I need men joining the prayer team.
We need some praying men!
"Armed men!"
Alright, so listen to me!
This is good!
This is good!
This is really, really good!
Okay, really, really good!
I have to perform at the Dove Awards this week.
Alright, so when I do that, before I leave today, I’m going to send Tristan Elder three or four things.
I need you to catch this because you should never pursue a vision without prayer.
A lot of what Pastor Tiffany does for our church on the financial and business side is dope, but I can find somebody to do books way better than her.
I can find people from around the world.
I can’t find their discernment!
So there have been times in this process where I’m dropping vision, and she’ll just write something.
Then she’ll wake up at 4 in the morning and start praying.
Then she’ll wake me up and say, "Hey, the Holy Spirit just told me to go get so-and-so."
So-and-so, check!
I don’t know why I’m like, "Go do it!"
Then out of nowhere, that inspector would pull up and say, "I need to check the elevators."
And y’all ain’t see—look, here’s the email right here where we just approved the pay for everything!
And I look at us like, "See?"
Watch this!
Harvard don’t do that; prayer does that!
What am I trying to get you to realize?
Forget who’s fighting with you; who’s praying for you?
Right?
Because if we ain’t careful, we’re going to assess our friends with who claps back with you.
"Oh, they messing with my friend! Let me go on live right now!"
Let me be very clear: I don’t play about this one!
I need somebody who’s going to say, "Let me be very clear to the devil: I don’t pray about this one!"
I need one friend who don’t play about me, but I also need one friend who prays about me.
"Hey, how you doing? I don’t want nothing. I don’t have to know what’s going on. Holy Spirit just told me whatever means you’re going to move slow. Love you!"
Kill it!
He says, "No, I want you to march around the city once with armed men. Do this for how many days? Six days."
Verse four: "Have seven priests carry trumpets of ram’s horns in front of the Ark."
So if armed men are a metaphor for prayer, carrying the Ark was a metaphor for carrying the presence of God.
The praisers were in front of the Ark.
I’m going to run; this is going to mess you up!
Why would He put the praisers in front of the Ark if the Ark represents the presence of God?
It’s because when praise comes, His presence follows!
If you ever want God to step in your situation, start praising Him!
I’ve got to go!
I’ve got to go!
I’ve got to go!
And when you hear the sound of the loud blast of trumpets, the whole army will give a loud shout.
Then the wall of the city will collapse, and the army will go up, everyone straight in!
Some visions don’t manifest because people shout but do not hear!
Y’all missed what I just said!
Do I need to run it back?
Okay, so my issue, Rod, my issue with 21st-century preaching is not that we preach an inaccurate gospel; we preach an incomplete gospel.
We are slaves to response.
We’re so ready to shout, and that’s because we want likes and shares and all that.
So we say stuff like, "And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises, and the doors opened."
No!
It says they sang praise at midnight, and God caused the earthquake!
If you holler and God don’t do His part, you’re just screaming!
So what happens here is because we preach this incompletely, we say stuff like, "They marched around that wall for seven days, and then they shouted, and the walls came tumbling down."
And I’ve got to get out of here, but I wish I had somebody who could just shout because the walls are coming down!
And that’s good; that feels good, but that ain’t complete!
Because here it is: it says, "When you hear them sound a long blast, have the whole army give a loud shout."
What’s the issue with this?
If we’re speaking in the context of vision, Joshua, when you hear the horns, you give the signal.
He never said, "When y’all hear the horn, y’all shout!"
Some of your vision is not going to work because nobody wants to submit to who’s in charge.
At a certain level, we all can’t be equals.
And I’m not talking about being in charge from a bragging standpoint; I’m talking about from an accountability standpoint.
Y’all missed what I just said!
He says, "When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout."
Have the whole army give a loud shout!
Which means in certain circles in your life, it’s your responsibility to hear and signal.
And in certain circles, it’s your responsibility to wait and shout!
Jesus!
If the armed men represent prayer and the Ark represents the presence of God, the sound of the trumpet is associated with victory.
God said the weapon that I’m going to use or the instrument I’m going to use to tell you to start is the same instrument you use once you’ve completed it.
I want to drive into your mind: you already won!
I’m going to say this; you ain’t got to receive it: you already won!
You already won!
Look at me!
But Pastor Mike, what if I don’t move my whole family out and do so?
Listen to me!
After what you survived, after the organized attack to kill your name and your vision, after the divorce that tried to drive you crazy, hear me when I say this: you’ve done more with little than people have done with a lot!
You’ve already won!
And here’s the part that we don’t get.
Oh, that hit me!
I’m sorry!
I sh—God, why did that just happen?
You’ve already won!
You’ve already won!
The devil tried to drive into my mind that when we got this building, we would never have money to fix it.
I would go to sleep certain nights and hear a voice in my head literally saying, "They’re going to be laughing at you for years! That boy went over there and did all that, and look what happened to Central Park!"
Knowing good and well that had nothing to do with me—completely out of my control!
And I would sit right here on the floor and be like, "God, if not one soul ever sits in this building, we’ve already won!"
If you never get a mansion, you’ve already won!
If you never be a millionaire, how you take care of your mama and your nieces and nephews who are in this room right now?
Your whole family thinks you’ve got something; you ain’t got what they think!
But your heart’s so big, you’ve already won!
And here’s what you miss: they shouted!
And we’re so busy having good church, we missed the real lessons!
The wall came down—Joshua at the Battle of Jericho—and the wall came tumbling down!
No, it didn’t!
That’s not in the Bible!
Nowhere in the scripture does it say the wall came tumbling down!
The scripture says the wall fell flat!
Had it come tumbling down, it would have taken them too long to invade because they would have been running all over rocks!
So what used to be a wall is now a road!
Think about this!
If they’re running on rocks, they could just sit there!
It says the wall fell flat!
The Bible says walls didn’t just fall; they fell flat!
Sometimes you can be around destruction, but the destruction doesn’t destroy you because of how God let it fall!
Can I ask you a question?
You prophesied your problem and didn’t even realize it!
"What happened with y’all?"
"Man, we just fell out!"
Y’all didn’t fall apart; y’all just fell out!
Because sometimes when you won’t remove people and situations...
So what do we need?
I’ve been saying this, man!
What’s the vision?
The vision isn’t to get to Valleydale and change—it’s our church!
When you pulled up, the sign don’t say Rock City Church, Michael D. MCLJ.
But my name ain’t on that building; it’s God’s church!
So I’m telling you guys, what’s the vision?
How y’all sing and worship?
The sound of the rock is going to lead people in worship all over this world!
So missing rehearsal ain’t because you’re tired!
You’ve got to make up in your mind: if I don’t serve, who am I dropping?
I’m going to ask you this praise team and everybody who works in the media department: how many times have you been out in public and somebody walked up to you and said, "You go to my church?"
Seeing your face brings them hope!
Bring them hope!
They bring them hope!
To every person who’s standing in that lobby, what’s the vision?
We want them to feel God the moment they walk in!
I want you to use discernment!
It’s going to be people who walk through that door who don’t have nothing left in life!
Somebody’s going to walk through that door on the verge of suicide!
Conversely, celebrities and NFL players and NBA players are going to walk through that door!
We’re not going to fan out!
That’s what we’re here for!
We’re a safe place!
"Come here! What’s up, boy? How you doing?"
I’ve got players right now telling me, "Pastor Mike, soon as I get a bye week, I’m coming to church!"
Like, "Come on! Come on!"
The vision is not to get all this and change, but to show God those same people who had nothing made a promise to God: "If you just trust me!"
So what do we need, Rock City?
If you’re watching me all over the world, we need strong teams!
We need strong teams!
I need more ushers!
I need more greeters!
I need more men in the parking lot!
All my Rockefellas, give me a "What!"
Ain’t nothing like pulling up to a place and seeing some good-looking brothers like, "Hey! How you doing? God bless you! Come on! Come on!"
We need more of them!
Watch this!
And parking ministry just ain’t men!
I need a couple sisters who don’t mind getting in there!
So when they pull up, like, "Hey! Come on, baby! Come on! Hey! How you doing?"
Strong teams!
Number two, we need strong systems!
That’s why we’re working hard now!
If you’re watching from all over the world and you’re coming to church next week, that’s why starting Saturday, Sunday morning, you’ll be able to pre-register your child for children’s church!
Imagine getting up and on your way to church, you go ahead and check them in!
Let me go and check them in!
Because we’re trying to build strong teams, strong systems because of the vision!
I want to prophesy over your life that God will fulfill His preferred vision for you!
So Father, in the name of Jesus, I come against distractions!
I come against doubt!
God, I come against that thought that I’m not worthy!
God, I come against those generational curses of almost!
For some of us, God, we come from families sometimes that have a ceiling on their head.
They get to a certain point but never really progress past that!
God, I ask right now that you continue to give us vision!
You have to have vision!
Clarity!
I ask that you would continue to give us strategy!
God, I thank you right now just for being God!
And I ask, God, publicly, God, let them be whole at home before they try to be whole at church!
God, don’t let us be preaching but then hate going home!
Don’t let us be hugging people in the lobby and won’t even hug the people in our house!
God, don’t let not one man park a car who won’t even put air in his girl’s tires!
God, what we do at church is a reflection of who we are in life!
God, I want to pause and just say thank you!
You brought us to this point!
God, you brought us to this point!
I decree and declare every need is met!
Every door that’s needed open is open!
And every door that you don’t want us to walk through, close it now!
God, I might pray a special prayer: don’t even give me the option of praying about it!
If it ain’t you, just go and close it and never even let me know about it!
If it ain’t for me, just slam that door and let me just keep living my life being happy!
God, I give you complete control!
You’re not my co-pilot; that means we’ve got equal authority!
You are the pilot!
God, I’m getting in the backseat this year, and wherever you lead me, I’m going to follow!
God, I give you glory!
I give you honor!
I give you praise!
God, I speak by faith that this city, this region, and this state will never be the same!
This world will never be the same because of the revival that’s breaking loose in Rock City!
I decree and declare every seat is filled, not just with spectators but with people who are hungry for God!
I decree and declare that you’re doing more than we ever expected!
God, I prophesy that on day one, this building is already too small!
I speak on day one we’ve got to start dreaming again!
But God, you’re getting ready to prepare so much for us in this season!
So God, I thank you for being God!
Our answer is yes!
Yes to your will!
Yes to your word!
Yes to your way!
God, I pray for those who are experiencing success right now!
God, people don’t understand sometimes success can be a trap because you’re chasing, trying to sustain it!
You’re chasing, trying to keep it!
You’re chasing, trying to elevate it!
I speak peace over their minds!
I speak strategy in their life!
God, I pray that you’ll give them vision—not just sight—vision for their families, vision for their lives, vision for their finances, vision for all the entities they run!
God, we thank you in advance for being God!
It is in Jesus’ name we pray!
Can you give God a blessed praise right there?
Man, God, you are so good!
Man, God is so good!
Man, God is so good!
Alright, guys, I’m so excited about what God is doing!
Are y’all excited about next week?
Are y’all excited about next week?
Alright, so everybody don’t log off!
Listen to me!
So what are we doing next week?
We’ll have two services: 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
I know we normally have a 10:30, but 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Do me a favor: if you’re watching, if you come to the 9:00 a.m., don’t stay for the 11:00 a.m.
I’mma need that seat!
I’m prophesying that I’mma need that seat!
Some of y’all slick!
Some of y’all are going to bring two shirts, go in the bathroom, come back out, "You know my sister was at the 9:00."
No, man!
But I’m so excited!
If you’re coming from across the world, we flipped our website!
So if you go to the website, we’re doing small things now.
Now, I don’t need y’all to do this because y’all come all the time, but if you’re coming from across the country, starting after next week, you can plan your visit!
Look how dope this would be!
Say you want to invite one of your friends; you can invite your friends, and you’re going to plan the visit!
We’re going to have somebody waiting on you when you get here!
So imagine we’ll send a—you’ll get a packet from us, and it’ll be a little letter in a p like, "Hey, Pastor Mike Jr. here! Can’t wait to see you this weekend!"
Yada, yada!
Here’s your parking pass!
And then right here on the front of the church, you’ll pull up, we’ll have a little parking spot for you in your circle, and it’ll almost be like a host like, "Hey, y’all ready to go into the sanctuary?"
Then we’ll have a little section for you to sit in, and you’ll be able to say, "Oh my God, it was so great!"
Then we’ll go downstairs, have refreshments for you!
All that you only get that one time, though!
You only get that one time!
You have to say that!
Some of y’all be like, "You know I’m RSVP this week."
No, you’re going to sit up there in that corner this week!
No, our church is going to be like the club!
McLure party of four right here!
Right here!
No, man!
But we just really want to show excellence!
We want to show excellence in all we do, and we want people to feel the love of God!
I met with my parking team, and I told them, "We’re going to another level!"
I said, "If y’all are out there and you see somebody and their tires are bald, I’m giving y’all stuff starting next week with a nice letter saying, 'Hey, we notice that your tires may be low, so I want you to email or call this number this week, and we may be able to call and say, 'I tell you what, in our discretionary fund, here’s a certain level of amount we paid off millions of dollars worth of medical debt for people!'"
Listen to this!
We provided every school teacher with the supplies they needed this year!
I told my team, "For the next 15-18 months, let’s keep this in-house right now, so let’s make sure the people who drive up here four and five times and we got gas and they got XYZ, it’s time to go to another level!"
Man, that’s the vision!
And I’m excited about that!
I love each and every one of you!
I’m so proud of who we are!
I’m so proud of what we get the opportunity to do!
Our church may not necessarily be in the heart of Birmingham anymore, but the heart of Birmingham will forever be in us!
That’s what we’re going to do!
Just because we meet, we meet here so we can go ye therefore into all nations!
So wherever you’re watching from, I can’t wait to see you!
I love you so, so, so much!
We’re going to be sending you an itinerary for the week this week!
So if you’re coming into the city, you need some stuff to do, we’re going to give you all types of stuff you can do, where to eat!
If you go on the website, it’s restaurants, hotels, yada, yada!
I’m coaching my son’s flag football game Saturday!
If you need something to do, come to the flag football game and see Coach Mike!
Coach Mike Legend!
That’s my name!
Mike Legend!
I’m excited!
Were y’all blessed today?
Come on, clap your hands, man!
Father God, our answer will forever be yes!
We are so excited about this week—not just this week!
Because so many people get excited about an opening but don’t carry that excitement into their future!
God, I’m excited about the start!
It’s not an opening; it’s a start!
A new start!
A fresh beginning that you’re sending our way!
And we pray a special prayer, Lord, your will—nothing more, nothing less, nothing else!
It is in Jesus’ name we pray!
And everybody said, "Amen!"
We are!
I see you next week!
God bless you!
Wow! Hallelujah!
What an incredible word!
Powerful word!
You know, when you think about "It’s On" and the vision, the text that he came from today was absolutely life-changing!
It was uplifting!
If you were blessed, just put something in the comments to let us know that you were blessed by Pastor Mike!
It’s the start of a new series as we’re walking into a new season!
And even as you’re talking about that, this ideal of vision, right?
How so many of us have sight, but do you have vision?
The Bible says without vision, the people perish!
And so we thank God for the visioner of this house, Pastor Mike, and all that God has allowed him to do thus far, but all that God is getting ready to allow him to do!
I’m excited about our future!
And you know someone is saying, "You know what? I’ve been blessed! My life has been changed!"
Maybe you aren’t saved; you want to give your life to Christ.
You want to become a part of this ministry, a part of this family of believers.
The information: text "HOME" to 28950.
That’s "HOME" to 28950.
We would love to welcome you as a part of this Rock City and Christian family!
Absolutely!
And of course, when you hear a word like that, you have to get seed in the ground!
Yes, this is good ground, y’all!
The proof is in the pudding, is what the old saints would say!
But I believe that when you’re connected to a church like Rock City, your life will never be the same!
Your finances will never be the same!
Your children’s children’s lives will never be the same!
And so you get a chance to do so!
You can text "IRROCK" and the amount to 28950.
You can also give on the website!
Pastor mentioned the website; there’s a lot of good information that is there!
If you are out of state and you would like to plan your visit, visit the site!
We want to see you October 22nd!
All roads lead to 255!
You can go ahead and put it in your GPS right now!
Like, don’t even wait until next week!
Just GPS it right now!
Go ahead and do it now!
It’s going down!
If you cannot make it, you can’t make it here physically; you can see digitally!
We’ll be online at 11:00 a.m. Central Standard Time!
Of course, if you haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channel, subscribe!
Hit that subscribe button!
Turn on your notifications because, hey, Pastor, we follow the cloud!
And you never know what’s happening!
So make sure you download the app as well as subscribe to the YouTube channel!
And speaking of YouTube, right?
We may be coming to an end here, but the word don’t stop!
Pastor Mike has said every day we have daily discipleship through DVO energy!
So we would love for you to join us at 7:21, that’s Monday through Friday, Central Standard Time!
Right?
Because we know we have folks who are watching from all over the world!
So we look forward to seeing you online this week!
It’s going down!
Y’all, it’s on next Sunday!
We cannot wait!
We are praying, like Pastor said, praying all week long!
Let’s continue in prayer and praise!
It’s going to happen!
It’s going to be amazing!
We cannot wait to see you next Sunday!
It’s going to be awesome!
Until then, Abely!
Yes!
Listen, on behalf of Pastor Mike, Lady J, the entire first family, and all of us here at Rock City, look!
The house!
Y’all make some noise!
Make some noise!
We love you, and we will see you live and in living color next Sunday!
This time next week, next Sunday, it’s on!
We’ll see you next time!
God bless!