Mike Todd’s Introduction

• This is a divine interception in your life
• I pray that your ears will be open today
• There have been a lot of stuff trying to block our hearing today
• We ask for your word to be given to us in a way that only you can, God
• We’re submitting our hearts and our lives to you, speak Lord, your servants are listening
• Lord say something that changes our hearts, our families, our lives
• We have given you worship, praise, and out of our lives, speak to us through this word like nobody else
• We trust you, we believe you, and we praise you in advance, Amen

Last week, God purified our motives. Why do we want it? Is this what God wants to do? Today, Mike wants to talk to us in week 4 of CrazyER faith. This is the season of the “ER”, healthier, smarter, happier, wealthier, stronger, bolder, greater. This is the season of “er”. Add the “er” because it acknowledges where you’ve been, but gives you the expectation of something greater. Our God is saying, “er”, greater, stronger, healthier, bolder. There are some “er’s” that you need to go and ask God to bring it into your life. For us as a church, this is “crazier”. There’s about 15,000 people across this nation who have the faith to believe that God can do crazier, He can do more than what He’s done before.

Today, Mike wants to talk about the environment/habitat/surroundings/scene/setting/conditions/the atmosphere of your crazy faith. What atmosphere are you trying to believe in? Some of us are living in an atmosphere, contrary to what we’re trying to believe in.

You can be in a different situation, but if there’s anywhere you can change the atmosphere of your faith, you need to move off of it. Move off of insecurity lane, lying road, and move to anointing avenue and belief boulevard. Some of the addresses we’re asking God to meet us at are the wrong addresses.

Certain things can only live and flourish in certain atmospheres.

Does a fish flourish in a) a dessert, b) a kitchen, or c) water? In a desert, a fish can flap around, in the kitchen, we may flourish from a fish, but the only place a fish can flourish is in the water.

A flowers flourishes in the atmosphere of a, a) a vase, b) a bouquet, or c) soil? It’s soil because it’s the atmosphere it can grow in. It’s not the most beautiful atmosphere, like the vase or the bouquet, but the only atmosphere the flower can flourish in is in the soil.

Some of you have been trying to go after atmospheres that look good and present well, but you may need to go in the atmosphere that’s dirtier or uncomfortable to flourish and grow for people to see your full potential.

It takes being in the right atmosphere to see the fullness of what God placed on the inside of you.

Faith flourishes in the atmosphere of a) doubt, b) fear, or c) belief. Which atmosphere does your faith flourish in? C. How do you say you believe God, but everything you believe Him for, you plant it in fear? How can you plant it in facts? God needs you to put your crazy faith in the atmosphere it can flourish – which is belief.

1. Crazy Faith Flourishes in the Atmosphere of Belief 

If we do not get the things God says to us in an atmosphere of belief, it will not flourish. What if Mike said he was called to be a Pastor, but when he said it to his family, it was an atmosphere of pessimism and doubt.

Be careful what you say to certain people. If you kill your goals in seed form, it won’t give you shade later. The best time to kill your dream is in seed form. Protect the things God has shown you by making sure the things God has shown you are in an atmosphere of belief.

Don’t roll with anyone that doesn’t have crazy faith belief. You may not need to be at the same level, but you have to at least be able to agree.

Some of the places most comfortable and familiar to you are killing your purpose. These places turn your purpose into a funeral.

Romans 10:17

New Living Translation

17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

“So faith comes from hearing” – comma. Whatever you’re believing, is strengthened by what you’re hearing. Faith in money, or faith in ministry?

It’s being strengthened and fortified by what you’re hearing. This scripture has a principal and a priority.

Faith comes by hearing is the principle. Hearing the good news about Christ is the priority.

You need to be hearing the good news about Christ, about what Christ did, the miracles, how he forgave your sins, there is no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus, we can lay hands on the sick and they will recover. If you’re going to walk in crazy faith, the priority is hearing the good news about Christ, but the principle is that faith comes by hearing.

If faith comes by hearing – then whoever has your ear, also has your faith.

Faith comes by hearing. The priority of what you should be hearing is the word of God. In a 7-day period, what percentage of your hearing is the good news about Christ? We’re hearing a lot of gossip, bad news, about sickness, COVID, job loss, our family line, disfunction, what people are going through – and everything is building your faith. Is it building your faith in something that will last?

Whoever has you ear, also has your faith.

Our ear is one of God’s greatest creations on our bodies. We can go into places with our eyes closed and hear the footsteps of an animal, we can hear somebody walking into a room and yelling your name, you can know exactly who it is calling you.

With this ear – who has control over it? They’re also controlling what you believe. Is it the news? Is it a specific political party? Is it your favorite influencer? Who has your ear? Is it a fashion icon? Just because they can dress, doesn’t mean they can lead you. Who has your ear? Is it your beautician? Sometimes someone can fix your hair and then tell you anything. The barber shop and hairdresser are two of the greatest places of gossip. You can even change your view of somebody you’re supposed to reach because “you heard” about somebody, from somebody who doesn’t even know them.

Who has your ear? Is it the big homie on the block, the captain of the team, your boss, your favorite musician? Just because they’re over your promotion, doesn’t mean they’re over your purpose. People have been moved out of their character, doing things without integrity, because of people with an authority, who are not “the authority.” They have your ear.

Who has your ear? Is it your coworkers or a specific podcast that makes you feel better? It might not be bad, but can you live your life based on what they are saying? They’re building your faith right now.

Who has your ear? A motivational coach who tells you to ten-x it, a high school buddy, a pro-athlete, aomeone wearing your family’s favorite team color, or a person into a really niche thing that only you know about? Just because they are an expert at “it”, doesn’t mean they are an expert for you. Who has your ear?

Ask yourself this. Some of you allow your parents to have you ear. You’re old and crusty now, and God is telling you to do something, and because Mom didn’t pray about it, and she just thinks she knows what’s best, and Dad didn’t ask God for any wisdom, but “their daughter is just never going to…” and it goes against principle. There will come a time in your life where you will have to stand on the word of God over the word of your parents.

There will come a time where you have to look at them and say, “you trained me to hear God’s voice. You told me that God would speak to me, confirm it to me, and show me, so I’m going to have to honorably not do what you’re saying because I hear God speaking to me.”

Who has your ear? Does culture have it, your pastor, your therapist, Christ? If you don’t evaluate this, people don’t even have to know what you believe in God if they simply know who you’re around. Introduce a person to your 5 top friends and your friends will expose your faith. The people you consistently live your life around will be the greatest sign of how you believe God. Your friends will expose your faith. When you’re in a situation where it looks bad and they give you advice instead of telling you to pray about it and to stand in faith, you’ll be exposed sooo quickly by who you have on speed dial.

Who has your ear?

Some of your friend groups and some of the family access has to get boundaries.

You can’t get crazy faith if every time you get something, people you love come in to rob, poison, and kill the very thing God told you to do. Boundaries are more biblical than people give credit for.

2. You Must Protect Your Ears to Protect Your Purpose

Whoever has your ears have your faith. God is about to give you crazy faith ideas, plans, and things nobody in your family can recognize. You have to protect it! He gives it to you for you to protect it.

Put your hands on your ears. This is the new sign of how people with crazy faith live their life.

If God spoke it to you, protect it. Don’t let just anybody talk to you… Can’t watch any movie or documentary, or listen to every bit of music that comes out, even if it’s certified lover boy, if you’re trying to live in purity, know that you can’t listen to it.

You might love Drake, Mike does too, but there’s certain things that you can’t let in. Can’t let it forfeit your purpose.

It’s our responsibility to protect the things God gave us in crazy faith. You have to have a strong circle of faith.

Message Title: The Circle of Faith

Every believer and person who will reach purpose, and to live their life on the limb, and walk on water, will need a circle of faith.

God never called anybody to do anything alone. You may get the vision alone, but you have to communicate it to a trusted group of people. The vision never includes somebody else.

When God does things, He sent the apostles out two by two. Even when Jesus died on the cross, two other people were there.

If we’re going to see the purposes of God come into our life, we need the circle of faith.

This will help you to re-evaluate everyone in your life.

The Circle of Faith

The circle of faith starts with your family.

3. Family with Crazy Faith

The beginning of your circle of faith starts with the household you’re born in. It’s not fair because you didn’t get to pick. Some of us were raised in faithful homes. That’s not a common thing.

Family is God’s big idea. Everything is about family. Maybe you weren’t born into a family with crazy faith, but you can create it. You can stand up and say, with my little cousins, I’ll take them to McDonalds every Thursday, and we’ll do a Bible study around McDoubles. They look up to you, and you can create a place where they can bring their dreams and help them to shape it based on what the word of God has to say.

This is the start of the circle of faith. Many of you haven’t been able to go where you need to go because of the family you were born into and they haven’t stepped into a level of believing God that allows you to believe on that level.

You might not have it, but you can create it.

Raise your hand if you’ve declared that you will have a family of faith.

The next ring is something you have control over, and that’s your friends.

4. Friends with Crazy Faith

Friends in elementary and high school are made out of survival, like surviving the social awkwardness of school and to socially survive with likeminded people that like the same things.

If you don’t ever mature and break out of that, all of your relationships will be based on survival – friendships are based on who can help you get promoted, to the next level, or feel better about yourself in disfunction. Some of your friends ride you until you die and they never correct you. They just support disfunction. You need friends that are picked out of necessity, not survival.

They need to be necessary for your purpose.

You may not see it at the beginning. Being around them may make you want to be more organized, believe for  things you didn’t believe for, want to know the Bible more, want to be a better husband to your wife.

You need friends with crazy faith.

You may not share the same blood, but you share the same beliefs. When it comes down to it, you’ll be believing for the same things.

Then there’s the next level when you live a little life.

5. Fighters with Crazy Faith 

To reach the destiny God has called you to reach, you need at least a couple fighters who have the audacity to believe with you when you can’t believe for yourself.

Evaluate who’s around you. These people will sacrifice something to see you go into your promised land.

They’ll intercede for you.

So many of us do not have fighters who will get in the garden of gethsemane for us. Peter, James, and John may have been sleeping, but they were there. They may have not met expectations, but God didn’t tell them to go away, He gave them another opportunity to fight with Him in the Spirit. Peter had fight in him, it was just the wrong type of fight at the time.

Jesus had fighters in His corner. Some of the people you all are calling besties, and lifelong friends, the people you plan to spend more time with, and talk to every day, they are the people closest to you. They affect what you hear. When they affect what you hear, they affect the level of faith that you have.

Who is talking to you and shaping your life?

If you have nobody that can see you at your worst, and still fight for you at your best, then you have no fighters.

When Mike had to believe for the building, and while he’s believing currently for his son’s healing, he doesn’t need fans, he needs fighters. He doesn’t need people just clapping, he needs people down in the trenches with him – fasting and praying when he’s not fasting about it.

This type of friend, family member, or even a fan can become a fighter for you. They can have a fight in them for you, your family, and your purpose.

At the middle of the circle is you.

6. You 

If everyone else doesn’t have crazy faith, you have to fight all of them to get to what God has called you to do.

If God called you to move, if they’re saying, “what’s in Dallas?!” or “what does that mean for our group, or our Friday’s?” or “our family has always lived here, and you would leave us?!”

This is many of our lives – fighting the people who should be giving us faith.

Numbers 13:1-2

New Living Translation

Twelve Scouts Explore Canaan

13 The Lord now said to Moses, 2 “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of the twelve ancestral tribes.”

Moses calls 12 people up, two of them were Joshua and Caleb. God promised them the land. He promised. They were supposed to go there and give a report so that the 2 million people who survived could go there. They were in the middle.

Numbers 13:25-33

New Living Translation

The Scouting Report

25 After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned 26 to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. 27 This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. 28 But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea[a] and along the Jordan Valley.”

30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”

31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” 32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. 33 We even saw giants[b] there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

They had the ear of the entire community. This was the news, the soundtrack, the podcast for the entire community. They had the ear of the leaders and the entire community.

It literally said a bushel of grapes was so big, that two men would have to carry it together – one grape as big as your head.

That was the land, but the people were large, fortified, etc. etc. etc.

They explained that the promise was there, but to possess it would be “a lot.” We see the great things God has for us, even tasted it, brought back proof that it’s real, but it’s going to cost us something to posses it.

“…but Caleb” had a report. He declared that they could go up at once and take the land – that they could certainly conquer it. This is the language of a fighting friend. Your closest friends need to have a “let’s go!” in them, or they may not need to have your ear.

Don’t be frivolous, don’t avoid finding out what’s possible and being strategic – but if the first thing is to tell you why it can’t happen, then they may not be somebody that wants you to see the promised land.

What they say, will affect what you will see. Some of you are in positions because of what “they” said. Some of you are in careers because of what somebody said. You’re 14 years into something you hate because they said it.

They shut Caleb up so quick.

If the people who were around Mike sowed seeds of doubt and fear, then we may not be having this sermon here in the Spirit Bank Event Center here today.

The people you love, and trust can also be people without faith.

Those same people can also be depleted in faith.

They said the land “will devour anyone that goes to live there” – they exaggerated their own fear. Be careful of people who have never crossed into a land that God called you to live in.

He might have called them there, but something kept them from doing. You may have to go pass their experience to get into your promised land.

“I love you, but I have to move pass your experience.” “I have to move pass this.”

They exaggerated their experience to give other people anxiety. Don’t let anybody else’s fear cripple your faith.

All it takes sometimes is one conversation from someone who helped you in another season to literally deflate your faith. It’s quick.

Something in you has to say, “I’m not going out like that. I’m not going to miss the great things God has for me based on the experience from somebody who didn’t live in the promised land.”

They never even lived there and were saying, “they’ll devour everybody.” They were so dramatic, “next to them we felt like grasshoppers.” This is no different than comparing yourself to others, their presence, their social media, their church, their business, and their non-profit. This is assuming your own insecurity and then projecting it on your enemy to reinforce why you need to stay in the same box you’re in right now.

It’s very important who has your ear. Leading with feelings always spreads fear.

These people did not even experience it for themselves. Be leery of people who say things like, “all you young ladies, don’t get married. All men are blah blah blah….” And the dudes, the OGs, who say things like, “don’t settle down playa, I’ve been married twice bro. Play the field.” Just because your marriage failed twice, and now you’ve exaggerated this experience to spread it for fear against doing what the Bible said, i.e., to “marry the wife of your youth.” – that person should go on the word of God, not your word.

Who has your ear? Uncle June June has your ear – now you’re sitting there with the woman you should be planning purpose with, and messing around on her, because when you were 15, Uncle June June told you not to settle down. You’re literally about to forfeit God’s plan for you because of who had your ear.

Your business partner who’s going to help you take over that industry is at the school where your family hates the colors. For the Oklahoma fans, some of your purpose may be in Texas. The same goes for those in Texas. Some of you allow something as trivial as college colors to keep you from obeying God.

It might not be that – but maybe it’s the color of someone’s skin. Some of you are supposed to be in partnership with someone who doesn’t look like you, but all of your family said, “don’t you interact with those…don’t you bring no white girl in here…or don’t you bring no darkie in here…” and all of these things demonstrate who has your ear.

The purpose of God on your life and the faith He wants to take you to is being stopped by all of these people who have you ear and you are being led by their feelings.

When you let feelings lead, it always spreads fear.

1 Peter 5:7 says to give all your worries and cares to God for he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

New Living Translation

7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Ten came back and had the ear of the people. They literally started to rebel against everything God had done for them to take them out of slavery.

Numbers 14:1-10

New Living Translation

The People Rebel

14 Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. 2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. 3 “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel. 6 Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. 7 They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! 8 And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. 9 Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”

10 But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle.

It’s like complaining about wishing you stayed in a jacked up abusive relationship, kept being an alcoholic, or a liar, or someone that went to things instead of Jesus. They complained.

They signed up for a battle, but at the moment of the fight, that’s when they needed faith.

Watch who you hear because it will make you think what you got free from is better than where you are today.

There are too many times, when you get in a fight, and God is trying to take you to another level of faith, if you don’t have the right circle of faith around you, you’ll get with those people (because their faith was being built, because faith comes by hearing – and it’s whatever you hear). They were hearing the negative report, spreading anxiety, going through fear, and started plotted and planning to go back to being bound because their faith was being built in the wrong thing.

7. What You Receive Determines How You Respond 

There’s a difference between hearing and listening. You listen when you actually receive it.

These people heard the report of Caleb and Joshua but heard, and received, the report of the 10. What you receive determines how you respond.  

They started responding in anxiety and fear because they received the bad report.

In verse 5, then Moses and Aaron fell, face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel. Two of the men who had explored the land – Joshua and Caleb, tore their clothes. They were willing to embarrass themselves so that they could see God had something better for them.

Numbers 14:5-10

New Living Translation

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel. 6 Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. 7 They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! 8 And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. 9 Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”

10 But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle.

You need people in your corner who will say at the biggest obstacle, the biggest giant, the biggest mountain: “that ain’t nothing” – that’s “only helpless prey to us.”

“10.4 million dollars for this building – that ain’t nothing.” “20 million for the land outside – that ain’t nothing.” “The money I need to go back to college – that ain’t nothing.” Who in your life is telling you, “that ain’t nothing” when you’re stressing?

The verse says, “don’t be afraid of them.”  

To have people like this in your life, they need to believe the promise. The other 10 didn’t remember the promise of God. People who will fight and remind you of the promise of God over your life, is what you need.

Don’t marry people who won’t remind you of the promise of God. God said we will be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, and that we would take the land.

8. Believing the Promise Changes Your Perspective 

Caleb and Joshua had a different perspective because they actually believed the promise. They saw the same thing, the same grapes, giants, problems, opportunities, and the only thing separating them was believing the promise of God.

The atmosphere of crazy faith is belief.

If you don’t have an atmosphere of belief, you’ll forget the promise and forfeit the purpose.

In verse 10, two naked grown men were trying to convince them, then “the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb.”

They were just trying to help them, and they wanted to stone them. Were there perhaps people who believed Joshua and Caleb, but then the crowd’s fear caused them to contract it too? Fear is contagious – but faith is contagious too.

9. Faith is Contagious, Just Like Fear is Contagious 

Faith is contagious just like fear is contagious. What if 1000 of them raised up in faith and started chanting, “take the land”? What if they started deciding they would take the land? That faith would have gone throughout 2 million people instead of fear. At the end of the day they would have been more like Braveheart and ready to win and go to war.  

Instead, they had a bunch of people in fear. Don’t stay around TC if you don’t want this faith to jump on you. Faith is contagious. Stay long enough and you’ll start believing God for something, and seeing healing and miracles.

Faith is contagious.

Numbers 14:11

New Living Translation

11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?

When God talks about you, is He saying, “will they never believe me?” God was frustrated because He did so much to get them to that promised land.

Then we see Moses become a fighter for the people stuck in unbelief.

Numbers 14:17-20

New Living Translation

17 “Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you said, 18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’ 19 In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”

20 Then the Lord said, “I will pardon them as you have requested.

“For you said” is the most powerful thing you can do, i.e., reminding God of what He said.

He asked God to pardon their sins and He did. What if Moses hadn’t fought for the children of Israel?

Do you have the type of leader, friend group, family member, fighter who has enough faith for you to borrow?

10. Who Has Enough Faith for You to Borrow? 

Moses had faith for people who couldn’t believe. Who around you has faith for you to borrow?

For Mike and Natalie, one of their fighting friends is a couple, Pastor Brie and her husband Aaron. When Brie and Aaron were going through a tough time in their marriage, they called Mike, Natalie, and another couple to simply inform them that they were getting a divorce (they already had the papers). Something rose up in Mike to just say, “nope. No. No. Yall haven’t done enough to be able to see God intervene.” For 25 minutes, the fighter in Mike rose up and he was trying to give them faith to borrow. There was too much pain for them to do it for themselves, but as a group of friends, they got around them and fought for the marriage they have today. They couldn’t see it, but Mike saw what God wanted to do in their life. They sat there and let them borrow their faith, even if it was only for that day to get them to the next day. Today, they’ve been married almost 6 years because at some point, their faith kicked in. They had to act on it, but had they not been there to stand in the gap, it wouldn’t have happened.

What community do you have? What friends do you have? Who will stand in the gap that has enough faith for you to borrow?

There are consequences to unbelief.

God decided he wouldn’t kill them. However, because Moses was riding for the wrong people, he wouldn’t get to see the promised land either.

What happens when you’re surrounded by the wrong people and they cost you your purpose?

Numbers 14:23-24

New Living Translation

23 They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.

11. A Different Attitude Creates a Life of Abundance

It was Caleb’s different attitude that created his life of abundance. We have to be the ones with a different attitude.

Numbers 14:26-30

New Living Translation

The Lord Punishes the Israelites

26 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 27 “How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against me. 28 Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say. 29 You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die. 30 You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

God’s hearing the complaints they were making against Him. He declared He would do the very things they claimed.

Keep saying you’ll die lonely, keep saying you’ll always be broke, keep saying nobody will ever acknowledge your gifting, keep saying it – keep confessing you’re just insecure, keep saying it – the thing that these people didn’t realize when they were complaining about the place God had them in, is that God can hear too. God told them He would do for them the very things He heard them say.

When they spoke, God heard. The only exceptions were Caleb and Joshua – the only two people with crazy faith.

At this time, most theologians believe there were 2 million people a part of the children of Israel. 1,999,998 people died in their wilderness, except for 2 people who were trying to fight for everybody to get into the promised land.

12. God Has Ears Too

He’s listening to what you’re saying in the middle of the wilderness. He’s listening to how you’re responding after you receive a negative report. He’s listening.

Who’s in your circle of faith is more important than anything you could be trying to cultivate right now. When God gives Mike a crazy faith idea, he has to have family with crazy faith, friends with crazy faith, and fighters with crazy faith.

Who has your ear?

The whole thing about this entire story is – if the children of Israel would have believed in their ears what Joshua and Caleb said, they would have lived in promise instead of dying in a wilderness.

Those three rings – family, friends, and fighters; note that the ear also has 3 parts – the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. The fans can be on the outside, but when you get to what’s going to help you flourish, those in the rings need to have faith.

Evaluate everybody in your circle, everything you listen to, everything you keep letting in, the radio in your car – everything that has your ear. Your faith is being built by hearing and the priority of what we should be hearing is the word of God.

Get into your Bible EVERY DAY!

Type stress, joy, peace, frustration – anything you’re dealing with in the YouVersion app – there are Bible plans you can literally follow every day. Go do the 5-day crazy faith Bible plan. Why? Because faith comes by hearing, and the priority of hearing should be the word of God.

Even when you hear the word of God, you need to cut out other things you’re hearing. Some of you need to delete your Spotify playlists. Your Apple music might feel lit/cracking/popping, but it’s actually building your faith in something that’s a fantasy. God’s trying to make you a man of valor but you’re feeing yourself with lyrics like, “diamonds on my wrist, buss down.”

Faith comes by hearing. The people closest to you affect your hearing. Even if you love them, it doesn’t mean they’re filled with faith.

Practical steps this week:

• Get in the word of God
• Get in Godly community – find friends with faith – at TC, we call them Belong Groups. We have over 300 small groups. Would you allow your purpose to flourish in the environment of faith? Text BGROUPS to 828282

There’s something about being in an environment, an atmosphere with people who believe. Even when you don’t feel it, you can borrow some of their faith.

Your circle of faith might be compromised, what God’s given you is a mandate to protect your crazy faith purpose.

Prayer Intro: We pray that you would get people around you with crazy faith and that God would send those people to you. Don’t be weird. The best way to get a cray faith friend is to be a crazy faith. You’ll get what you actually need when you give what you don’t have. Can somebody borrow your faith? Who are you interceding for? Who are you believing God for?

Hands lifted all over the world…

Prayer:  Father I’m thank you right now. You’re changing our expectations and priorities. You’re giving us principles and today, God I’m asking that for everybody, you would give them, a group of people, in a circle of faith that would be able to walk with them through the ups and downs of this crazy faith journey. Father, thank you for giving us family, or the ability to start it. Thank you that you would give us friends who have crazy faith, and some fighters who will ride with us in crazy faith. Thank you for those who feel lonely. You’re a restorer. I thank you that you’re bringing right people together for purpose. Align people’s destiny’s. Let us desire this. Let us protect our ears so that we can protect our purpose. God, give me a circle of faith. I believe father god, that as we are planted in the right soil, people are about to flourish, businesses are about to flourish, and families are about to flourish. Thank you for caring about every detail of our lives. We trust you, we believe you, and we thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.

Altar Call: There are some people that need to give their life to Christ, and the first crazy faith step you need to take is to get in the family of God. All you have to do according to Romans 10:9, is accept that Jesus Christ went to the cross for you, and that he died for your sins, and rose again with all power, so that your eternity could be secure. Today, you have the opportunity to start on your crazy faith journey. There are thousands of people. Start praying right now. The whole reason is so that people could be a part of God’s family. Today, you may be like how Mike was – out there, addicted to pornography, a liar, a manipulator, someone with crazy stuff in his heart – and God said, “you. I’ll use you. Why not you?” and Mike gave Him control of his life as his savior and lord. Some of you are tired of running, tired of having to do it all on your own. God said, “can I have that?” He wants to help you right now. In just a moment we’ll say a prayer. This is the moment of salvation. Thousands of people are praying for you right now because your life can transform in this moment through your belief. It just takes faith. We are saved by grace, through faith. All you have to do is put your belief in Christ right now. On the count of three, if you want to be a part of this prayer and accept Jesus as your personal Lord and savior, all you need to do is raise your hand, 1. You’re making the greatest decision you’ve ever made. 2. Mike is so proud of you, but it doesn’t even matter because your name will be written in the lamb’s book of life. 3. Just lift that hand up right there – wherever you are. You can put your hand down.

You don’t have to confess everything you’ve ever done. God sees you. Transformation church is a family so we pray together.

Let’s Pray Together: God, thank you for sending Jesus, just for me. Thank you, for being my friend, who fought for me, I believe you lived, you died, and you rose again for all of my mistakes, and today, I make you the lord of my life, change me, renew me, transform me, I’m yours in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Text ‘Saved’ to 828282 for resources and content to help you on this crazy faith journey

You can also get Mike’s new book, Crazy Faith below, from IamMikeTodd.com, or anywhere books are sold. 

You can also still get “Relationship Goals” the book and study guide today for relationship guidance and support:

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SUMMARY NOTES

1. Crazy Faith Flourishes in the Atmosphere of Belief
2. You Must Protect Your Ears to Protect Your Purpose
3. The Circle of Faith: Family with Crazy Faith
4. The Circle of Faith: Friends with Crazy Faith
5. The Circle of Faith: Fighters with Crazy Faith
6. The Circle of Faith: You
7. What You Receive Determines How You Respond
8. Believing the Promise Changes Your Perspective
9. Faith is Contagious, Just Like Fear is Contagious
10. Who Has Enough Faith for You to Borrow?
11. A different Attitude Creates a Life of Abundance
12. God Has Ears Too

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

​If you want to join a Belong Group, text “BGroups” to 828282 or you can visit transformchurch.us/belong TC has groups for all people, yes you too TC Nation!

Link to full Video (share this message💕): TBD 

Join TC for prayer every Monday night at 6PM (CST). 

Text SUSTAIN to 828282 to join the sustain challenge to show your creative expression of this powerful song. 

Text SHARE to 828282 to share your story via the TC video booth.

Transformation Church would love to hear how God is touching your life through this ministry!  Tell us your story by emailing mystory@transformchurch.us!

If you would like to support TC financially you can give through the TC app, or online through the website by clicking here https://transformchurch.us/give/.  You can also Text ‘TCGIVE’ to 77977.

If you need prayer, email prayer@transformchurch.us!

For more information about Transformation Church, visit https://transformchurch.us/.

To join a Belong Group, visit https://transformchurch.us/BELONG/ or text BELONG to 828282

The D.I.G. stands for Deeper In God and it is a conversation where we dive deeper in God. Join us this Wednesday at 7pm (CST)! — https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYv-siSKd3Gn9IsliO95gIw