Mike Todd’s Introduction
- Today we’re starting week 1 of a series we’re calling Cuffing Season
- Mike is grateful for this message; you’ll likely come back to it for decades to figure out how to get away from the things that are no longer serving you
Message Title: The Things You Love That Don’t Love You Back
Many of us as we’re journeying in adulthood, along the way we pick up many things that we “cuff” to that serve us in one season, and we never disconnect from despite it not serving us anymore. It used to be the only way you could function, but now it’s keeping you from functioning because you’re dragging along the things, ideas, perspectives, and people that are no longer serving a purpose in your life – you’ve been cuffed.
Cuffing Season – it’s usually in the fall or winter and people connect to things below their value.
Cuffing Season: — a season because of loneliness and desperation, you settle for a relationship that is way beneath your standards.
Loneliness and desperation are prevailing in every area of culture. Hence, you settle for a relationship that is beneath your standards.
As a child of God – there is a standard.
Mike’s child can’t eat out of the trash, because it’s below the standard of the Todd household. The 5 second rule may be okay, but not from the trash – that’s below the standard.
How many things are you doing, living in, and working through right now that’s below the standard of what God prepared for you?
When you hear standard, do you think of rules and regulations? The way you view the word determines how you see God. In this case, when Mike says “standard”, it’s what you get to do, what you get to receive.
The standard is “you are loved, I shall supply all of your needs, I have plans to prosper you and not to harm you to give you a hope and a future,” but your view of God is jacked up. Mike doesn’t want his daughter eating out of the trash because he wants to protect her, he doesn’t know what else is in there.
God is trying to protect you; He doesn’t want bacteria on your life or blessing. He’s trying to raise your standard.
When you look at this and what people are cuffed to and are dragging around, the things nurtured privately, relationships are less about people and more about patterns. A lot of people automatically think of relationships when thinking of cuffing season — but this is about your patterns.
1. All Relationships are About Patterns Before They Are About People
There are some patterns you have had since you were four – like people pleasing – perversion as a teenager – power tripping on the basketball court, UNO – it’s a pattern. It’s not about the people, it’s about the pattern.
Being pessimistic is a pattern. You’ve been negative from not getting picked in high school. You’ve already planned exits because of your disappointment. God’s promise is right in front of your face and you’re bringing up your patterns.
You change patterns by changing your paradigms.
Romans 12:2
New International Version
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
You want to know God’s will? Change your mind.
You’re taking your same patterns wherever you go – the city you go to doesn’t matter – you find the same connections everywhere if you don’t address the patterns. You have to change your mind to do God’s, pleasing and perfect will.
2. Your Mind Is Renewed By God’s Principles
Our patterns can only be changed by God’s principles. You read the word not for a gold star or a streak from the YouVersion app. You checked off the box, but forgot the principles. What did you learn, what did you apply, what do you remember, what does it mean in your life if it only checked off a to-do list item? You’ll still keep the same pattern.
Have you ever read your Bible, and then sinned right after? Mike remembers reading his word, and then still having premarital sex. This is an example of not receiving the principle, i.e., doing the practice and not changing the pattern.
There are many people practicing religion today, but they’re practicing religion but not learning, leaning in, and not changing by principles. Until you allow God to change your mind through principles, you’ll always have the same pattern. You can get divorced and married 3 times and they’ll all be the same because you won’t apologize, you can’t be wrong – that’s your pattern. You’re the common denominator.
God’s principles always come with parameters.
3. God’s Principles Always Come With Parameters
If you want to change your patterns, you have to listen to God’s principles – which always come with parameters, lines, limitations, boundaries.
Everything God does comes with parameters. What if the parameter was only for one reason – protection?
We put parameters around our kids to keep them safe.
When God says to not have sex before marriage, it’s to protect us. God built the container of marriage for sex to protect us. Teach the woman you’re with even if she doesn’t know “how to do anything.” Get educated together.
All of these cultural things we’re believing right now causes you to end up in your marriage bed giving to 15 other people. You’re calling it “experience” when it’s actually been “distraction.”
You’re laying in the thing that’s supposed to be a promise for you and you’re comparing it to other men or women. The parameters are for protection.
Every principles of God comes with parameters – when you don’t listen to them, you step out of the protection and step into a war zone.
This is what happens outside of protection.
Why would you go beyond the boundary that He set to protect you? A lot of the things we’ve been cuffed to have not been within the parameters of God.
4. God’s Parameters are Always for Protection
When we ignore them, we end up in problems – the consequences of our ignorance – not attacks from the enemy.
If God told you not to move, despite having the money, you felt like you weren’t seen, and decided to move because “you had peace about it.” You didn’t have confirmation from God, but you had “peace about it.”
Where does that peace go when everything falls apart from stepping outside of the parameters?
We have to stay within the parameters of God’s principles to change our patterns to actually reach purpose.
God programmed you for a specific thing, and everything in hell is trying to stop you from fulfilling that purpose and therefore giving God glory.
We have to change our patterns, listen to God’s principles, and stay in the parameters.
Have you been cuffed before or arrested before?
If you’ve never been handcuffed before, it’s a very interesting experience. All your life, you have use of your hands and you take this for granted. When they have the audacity to put your hands in metal objects it’s usually too tight.
When Mike turned himself in for insurance fraud, he went to the bail bondsman with his dad, and thought it would be civil. After signing everything, the bondsman said, “now we have to go down to the jail.” Mike didn’t expect that. He was put in the back of the car, then they got to the jail, they had to buzz in, and then eventually he said, “put your hands out.” He had to cuff him. Mike didn’t expect that – he thought it was more like a gentleman’s agreement. Mike had to be cuffed so that they could know who was in control. The reality is that they don’t know what will be done if the prisoner is not cut. It’s the sign that the relationship is under control, because you’re cuffed.
5. Cuffing Is All About Control
Whatever you’re cuffed to has control – money – an idea of your family – comparison – compromise – criticism – curiosity – things that are not like God – whatever it is – it has control.
You may think you have control when everyone else can see that you don’t. You’re always drinking, can’t remember last week, and still don’t see that you have a drinking problem – you think you have full control.
The trick of being cuffed is that some people still try to fight and to jump fences despite being cuffed. You still feel like you have control over it.
6. You Can Never Be Cuffed and In Control
You cannot be cuffed to success and still be in control of your pace.
It’s better to be in purpose and assignment. Success changes every day. What is success if it’s not defined by the word of God? Some of you are only listening to Mike today as a ritual to become successful in listening to everything.
Whatever you’re cuffed to is controlling you.
Some of you are cuffed to clothes.
Some of you have 4 closets and two of the closets fit somebody that isn’t your body – you’ll never fit those clothes – but you’re cuffed to the idea of presenting yourself a certain way. The real root of it is that you care about what people think of you – and it gives you identity instead of God.
You’re excited for a new Louis purse, but not excited to hear that God loves you.
Some of you are cuffed to career and some of you are cuffed to ministry. If you’re not the head of the team, the person leading this and that, the person doing the podcast on Philippians, who are you? If you’re not doing the daily encouragements on live, who are you? You got 4 views on it, but you’re doing it not because God told you to, but because you want somebody to see you. You’re cuffed to something that is controlling you.
The truth is that many of us are cuffed to something that we love. We love people to give us affirmation. The reason we get dressed and put on makeup that breaks us out is because we love when people affirm us.
Many of those things we’re not in control of – they’re dragging us around – leading our finances and making our faith leak. They’re leading us.
In this series, you need to not be cuffed to these things. You’re cuffed to something that you love but it doesn’t love you back.
When you put it all on the line for somebody who’s not checking for you – that’s tough. A lot of the things we’re cuffed to are robbing us silently of our identity, our self-worth, our ability to believe God – we love it, and it doesn’t love you back.
At the end of this series, the prayer is that despite something serving you for years, that you will be set free. There is freedom coming to God’s people as we find out that cuffing season only needs to be done one time by cuffing to God. When you cuff to Christ, you don’t have to worry about everything that’s happening in your life. When you’re cuffed to culture, crazy, or critical – you need to be set free. The constraints are about to come off some people in this season.
Anecdote: in listening the story about Samson, it is raggedy despite it being sanitized for kids etc. This story is a story of God giving parameters, but somebody following their own pattern, leading to a bunch of problems, and allowing their power to be stolen.
God doesn’t want your power stolen – your genius, creative assignment on the Earth, your uniqueness – He doesn’t want your power stolen.
So many people are getting their power stolen because of where they lay their heads – what they rest their thoughts on. It’s not that you had the thought, but you rest there. You lay in the lap of things actively trying to steal your power.
You’re cuffed to it.
Mike came to help the church know that there’s no amount of prayer that can change your decided patterns. We can pray and scream and tarry all day, but if you decide to answer phone calls after 10:30, it doesn’t matter. We can shout and dance, but if you’re already decided that if you don’t bring people you’re in relationship with to community to check them out, then it doesn’t matter. You feel like you’re too grown etc.
Samson’s story is ratchet. His parents couldn’t have children, but they got a prophecy. God gave them parameters. The child should have no wine or fermented drink, should not eat anything unclean, and should not cut his hair.
The thing about parameters is that they don’t have to make sense. You may say things like, “Why?! Why though?! They don’t have to! They never did! I don’t see you asking them! Why God?!” You don’t need to understand to obey.
God in this passage gives them no explanation. It could’ve said, “don’t cut his toenails.” There was no reason – it was for the opportunity for them to honor God. Obedience is not about outcomes; it’s about honoring God. It’s about honor. You don’t have to understand why, you honor who He is, and therefore obey. In this Google generation, we feel like God owes us an explanation for everything. God is not obligated to tell you the timing of when He will make his next move.
Samson’s strength was locked up in the parameters. His strength was in the parameters. The greatest version of you is not the “I can do everything” version of you. It’s in the disciplined version of you. The greatest version is the version that has parameters – “I don’t do that, I don’t go there with these people, I don’t drink that, I’m focused, I have a prize that’s in front of me, I have fixed my eyes on Jesus, I know what I’m supposed to do – and that ain’t it. I have to stay right here.” It’s the version of you that has parameters. Your power is in parameters. You didn’t change, you just can’t hang with certain people. You didn’t change, you’ve reevaluated the priority of your parameters.
Samson’s power was in the parameters set. He literally disobeyed the parameters God set for him – the lion (unclean meat), fiancé with riddles, etc. etc. then eventually, it gets to Judges 16:4.
Judges 16:4-6
New Living Translation
Samson and Delilah
4 Some time later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the valley of Sorek. 5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice Samson to tell you what makes him so strong and how he can be overpowered and tied up securely. Then each of us will give you 1,100 pieces[a] of silver.”
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong and what it would take to tie you up securely.”
People are plotting against your power. They didn’t go to Samson, they went to someone close to him.
She wasn’t discreet. She practically asked how she could cuff him.
Some of the things we’re tied to are not being discreet. “How can I cuff you? How can I contain you, constrict you, confine you, compress you? How can I contain your calling, constrict your consistency, confine your capacity, and compress your character?”
This dummy was so in love. Samson loved something that did not love him back. It came up to him and said, How can I contain your calling, constrict your consistency, confine your capacity, and compress your character?
Judges 16:7-8
New Living Translation
7 Samson replied, “If I were tied up with seven new bowstrings that have not yet been dried, I would become as weak as anyone else.”
8 So the Philistine rulers brought Delilah seven new bowstrings, and she tied Samson up with them.
She cuffed him.
He never dealt with the wild stuff that happened before. His future was about to be painted from his past pain.
Not after counseling or process – just some time later he fell in love with something. He was likely desperate and lonely. You fall in love with anything when you’re desperate and lonely.
In Cast Away, the character is so alone that the volleyball manufactured by a company, Wilson, became his only friend, Wilson. It was something that couldn’t love him back.
Delilah was picked by Samson out of his pain.
7. You Never Pick Right When You Pick from Your Pain
If your pain is fueling your pick, you never pick right.
Your next choice will be worse if you have not dealt with the pain or allow God to uncuff/free/deliver us from the things we’re walking through.
You’re cuffed to the abuse, you’re cuffed to the cycles, you’re cuffed to the deception, you’re cuffed to the façade. If you don’t deal with it, it’ll just repeat itself.
The most spiritual thing you may do this year is to get into therapy. Your past is still affecting you in your present.
The church has done a really bad job of teaching you to escape the pain, to pray it away, and believe it doesn’t come. Pain is proof that you’re alive. Who is the last dead person you heard say ouch? Dead people don’t say ouch. It hurts, but it proves you’re still living. Even though you don’t have the title you used to have, the fact that it hurts shows you’re still breathing – therefore, God is not done. He still has a plan for you.
You have to actually deal with the pain.
Mike has been working out. October 27th is Bubba’s birthday. They rented Sky Zone for him. Mike was doing all of the jumping, and one of his competitive friends asked Mike to race. Mike began to run and was beating the person, but trampolines aren’t steady. Mike hit the trampoline at just the right angle, that jammed his ankle. It flipped Mike over. He did a full front flip in the air. His entire butt came out – and it was on video. Nobody laughed after because it was so bad – they knew Mike was hurt. Mike made a sound he never made before. He was so hurt. Mike tried to play it off like it didn’t affect him the way it actually did. He limped away saying he was good and even tried to jump some more. When he went to workout the next week, he thought he could do what he did before in terms of medication etc. He’s older and in a different season of his life though. At 22 he could do it and then backflip. At 35, though, it’s different. He needed to go to the doctor. “That costs too much – too much time, too much resources” to deal with it at a place where it could be corrected – to deal with the pain at the real level. Instead, you can learn to function not at 100%. Two months later, after learning how to cope with the pain, Mike could feel it. He started wearing an ankle brace and would still say he was good. He could work out just fine with the ankle brace on. He forgot about it until his right knee started hurting. He had never had the inability to squat. The pain of his ankle untreated made him overcompensate in his knee – but untreated pain over time starts to affect every area. Mike began to think, what in the world – and went and got a knee brace. He looked like the bionic man instead of going to get the pain treated. You never pick right when you’re picking out of your pain.
This man picks Delilah, tells her a lie, which lets Mike know…
Judges 16:9-10
New Living Translation
9 She had hidden some men in one of the inner rooms of her house, and she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson snapped the bowstrings as a piece of string snaps when it is burned by a fire. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.
10 Afterward Delilah said to him, “You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now please tell me how you can be tied up securely.”
For some reason, this man still decided to communicate and connect with something actively trying to cuff him despite the first incident.
Many of us are still actively communicating and connecting with things that you know are trying to cuff you.
8. Cuffing Only Happens with Connection & Communication
If he walked away from her at that point, he would’ve retained his power. This is why the bible says to flee from lustful youth. You don’t converse with it. It has no ability to connect to you or convince you if you get away from it, but some of us are so prideful, we think we’re better than we are.
“I can watch that movie.” At 6pm that movie got in your spirit. You were good. It only had 2 sex scenes, right? But at 3am, you’re insatiable and trying to find out who’s up.
The truth of the matter is that a lot of the things we’re cuffed to are only able to stay and hinder us because we’re communicating with them and staying connected to them.
There are some high school friends you should never talk to again. You know they’re pulling you away from your calling. Your frat brothers and sorority sisters, you know they’re pulling you away from your calling. Are you cuffed to a sorority/fraternity roll call? Every time you’re about to do good, they have a “get together.” Mike has watched people yearly fall into bad decisions because of a commitment they made in a season they didn’t understand their calling, and they cuff to those things and now have to fight being fake or real when we really need to just prioritize the calling of God on our lives.
Judges 16:11
New Living Translation
11 Samson replied, “If I were tied up with brand-new ropes that had never been used, I would become as weak as anyone else.”
This is arrogance when you’re anointed. He knows he’s anointed so he walks in arrogance. This is a disease in the church right now. People that are anointed – the gift is without repentance – meaning you can prophesy and be a prostitute, you can declare what the Holy God says, even if you’re hoeing – but your arrogance… because of the anointing God has given you, has you playing with stuff that will take away your power.
This man is still conversing with compromise. He was arrogant because he thought nobody was as strong as him. Imagine being able to rip a whole lions face off. People think of you a certain way and you become arrogant because you’re anointed.
Mike personally recognizes his anointing and prays everyday and is surrounded by community, a wife, and accountability that keeps him humble before God. His first pastor told him he didn’t need to fast, he needed to live a fasted life and to keep putting his flesh under subjection to the will of God, because if you don’t, arrogance comes with the anointing.
Judges 16:12-13
New Living Translation
12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them. The men were hiding in the inner room as before, and again Delilah cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But again Samson snapped the ropes from his arms as if they were thread.
13 Then Delilah said, “You’ve been making fun of me and telling me lies! Now tell me how you can be tied up securely.”
Imagine being Samson’s friend. Now imagine being your friend. It’s the same situation and everybody else can see that it’s happening over and over again. You get mad at the people who hold you accountable because you’re in love with what you’re cuffed to. It’s very difficult to say something to anybody about something they’re in love with. When you attack love, you send them into Romeo and Juliet mode – they defend it.
Obviously, Samson is comfortable now with Delilah. He can entertain this threat on his life, but he’s so arrogant, because he’s anointed. What are you entertaining that’s threatening your life, your purpose, your character? What are you cuffed to that’s actually controlling you?
9. Comfort Ignores Caution and Leads to Compromise
He’s so comfortable that even though she is directly telling him, tell me how to cuff you, tell me how to compromise you, tell me how to constrict you, tell me how to kill you. He’s so comfortable that he throws caution out the window and is now compromised.
Judges 16:13 Continued
Samson replied, “If you were to weave the seven braids of my hair into the fabric on your loom and tighten it with the loom shuttle, I would become as weak as anyone else.”
So while he slept, Delilah wove the seven braids of his hair into the fabric.
This is the first time he mentions or gives any clue to what can actually take his power. He is so comfortable that he has become careless. She is wearing him down.
There are places, people, situations, and things that you can give keys to your downfall because they are wearing you down.
He received parameters from birth, but now he’s flirting with the thing that can take his power.
Judges 16:14-15
New Living Translation
14 Then she tightened it with the loom shuttle.[a] Again she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson woke up, pulled back the loom shuttle, and yanked his hair away from the loom and the fabric.
15 Then Delilah pouted, “How can you tell me, ‘I love you,’ when you don’t share your secrets with me? You’ve made fun of me three times now, and you still haven’t told me what makes you so strong!”
She’s using what she knows about him to take away what’s great about him.
Be careful when someone uses what they know about you to try to take away what’s great about. E.g., Mike’s transparency, and how he tells us everything, there are people who will take those things and try to pervert them, despite the transparency. People listen to Mike because he actually tells the truth – but be careful.
Samson has a woman who is manipulating him.
Judges 16:16
New Living Translation
16 She tormented him with her nagging day after day until he was sick to death of it.
He entertains her for so long that he wants to die, but still doesn’t walk away. At any moment, he could have uncuffed from her – she’s not even her wife – there’s no covenant. Nevertheless, he loved her – he was in love with something that didn’t love him back.
Take inventory of your own life. What has you worried to death? What has you frustrated to death? What has you completely done to that point, and you can uncuff from it, but you would rather die than walk away?
10. Consistent Toxic Connections Lead to the Cutting of Your Calling
Your calling is about to get cut short because of all of the toxic connections you’re staying cuffed to – not just people, but your connection to fear – it’s ruling you. You’re connected to poverty, it’s a toxic relationship you have with poverty. It’s not just people – it’s the patterns.
You have relationships with things that keeps the patters going and you walk into all types of problems.
Delilah came back day after day.
Judges 16:17
New Living Translation
17 Finally, Samson shared his secret with her. “My hair has never been cut,” he confessed, “for I was dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else.”
He loved her enough to expose himself, all of himself, and put it in someone’s hands who wasn’t trustworthy.
He told all of his business.
Judges 16:18
New Living Translation
18 Delilah realized he had finally told her the truth, so she sent for the Philistine rulers. “Come back one more time,” she said, “for he has finally told me his secret.” So the Philistine rulers returned with the money in their hands.
The truth has a different tone.
There was a toxicity in Delilah – something on the inside of her that didn’t see the value in the relationship, that’s why she couldn’t love him back.
Judges 16:19
New Living Translation
19 Delilah lulled Samson to sleep with his head in her lap, and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down,[a] and his strength left him.
11. The Lap You Lay In Can Limit Your Life
The place where you put your thoughts and trust your secrets can limit your life. He has no idea while he’s dreaming that he’s about to be destroyed.
He laid his head in the wrong lap and it was about to limit his life.
Wherever you lay, it has the ability to desensitize you.
Mike doesn’t watch certain movies, not because they’re not funny. They’re actually hilarious, but hilarious in perversion. They plant thoughts in his head that takes him back to a season that was unsubmitted to God, and therefore tries to reprogram principles in his life to put him back in patterns that will cause him to end up with problems. It’s not just a movie, it’s the lap being laid in.
Some of you are so arrogant because you’re anointed, so gifted, so many degrees, so successful, but you’re playing with the thing that will cut your life off – cuffed to it.
Judges 16:19
19 …and then she called in a man to shave off the seven locks of his hair. In this way she began to bring him down,[a] and his strength left him.
If it’s beginning to bring you down, e.g., if your speech is changing, if your faith talk is changing, if you’re starting to be pessimistic where you used to have hope, if you’re critical of everything, if you don’t give anyone the benefit of the doubt anymore – if it’s beginning to bring you down, your strength is about to leave.
Judges 16:20
New Living Translation
20 Then she cried out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!”
When he woke up, he thought, “I will do as before and shake myself free.” But he didn’t realize the Lord had left him.
He thought. He assumed. He made an assumption God would always protect him even if he stepped out of the parameters.
The worst thing about being cuffed to the wrong thing is not just temporary consequences, but losing communion with God.
The whole problem with sin is that it cuts off communion with God.
It’s not about a house, car, or platform, but communion with God.
So many of us are waking up thinking we’ll do the same thing as last time, but we’ve been cuffed to something that was planning to really kill us, you’ll realize you can’t do it the same, because the Lord isn’t with you. E.g., not with you in the move, not in the church you started out of insecurity to be seen, not with the second mortgage you took out…God was clear with you. He’s there when you’re ready to come back.
We always say His word is always true – it’s the words that we like and the words we don’t like.
The Philistines made a mockery of him.
Judges 16:21
New Living Translation
21 So the Philistines captured him and gouged out his eyes. They took him to Gaza, where he was bound with bronze chains and forced to grind grain in the prison.
They took away his vision.
It’s not enough to just take away your power, they want to steal your future. It’s not just to prevent you from conquering today, but so that you can’t see for tomorrow.
There are so many believers in Jesus that are cuffed to things that are now trying to gauge out their vision – not seeing a future for their family, not knowing if they have a purpose or a calling anymore, etc. It’s literally trying to cuff you/bound you.
There’s always grace…
Judges 16:22
New Living Translation
22 But before long, his hair began to grow back.
This is a cautionary tale for all of us to see maybe a little bit of ourselves, and what we’re cuffed to that can be costing us our calling.
God is saying to many of you today, would you please stop loving things that don’t love you back?
Take inventory.
For Mike, he knows for him, the part of him wanting to be famous/have fans, at the beginning of the year, dealing with the pain of the spit hitting the fan, going to counseling for that pain, working on his own issues for that pain, Mike got free. He uncuffed from something he loved. He loved “the like,” but it wasn’t loving him back. At the moment he realized it was coming after his calling, he had to uncuff. Now, when Mike stands here, it doesn’t matter if you tune in or tune off, he stands here in the authority God gave him to declare the good news of Jesus Christ, because that’s what he was called to do when he was in his mother’s womb.
12. Where You Lay Your Head Determines Your Legacy
Samson laying his head in Delilah’s lap is the reason we don’t hear about generations of Samson. We don’t know if that power was transferrable to another generation. He laid his life in the wrong lap.
Stop loving things that don’t love you back.
1 Corinthians 7:23
New Living Translation
23 God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.
Don’t be cuffed by the world.
This scripture let Mike know that whatever is not like Christ that he’s ben cuffed to, God paid a price so that we wouldn’t have to be cuffed to it. We have legal rights as children of God to no longer be enslaved to comparison, enslaved to perversion – we don’t have to be cuffed to confusion because of what Christ did for us. We can be free because we’re paid for.
Today there are some people who have been cuffed to addictions, people pleasing, what your family has said – lift your hands wherever you are and ask the Holy Spirit, “what are you trying to say to me through this message?”
Mike has been talking but the Holy Spirit has been speaking and illuminating some things you have been cuffed to that are not His best for you.
Conclusion & Prayer: Father I’m thanking you that the spirit of evaluation would come all over this place. That you would give us self-awareness. Thank you that everything we were thinking was for somebody else, we would come into a place of humility and ask for you to show us, us. That you would show us the areas we have made idols, that we’ve cuffed to because we loved them, and if we’re honest, we loved them more than you. Today we’re repenting, and we’re turning back to you. We’re asking father that you would uncuff us from the things that have kept us from our fullest calling. In the name of Jesus, I pray that every lap that has been assigned to kill our calling, I thank you that we would wake up, and not be lulled to sleep, and father be able to walk away from those toxic connections. By your power, not our might or power, but by your spirit, speak to us this week God.
If you know there’s an area right now that you’ve been connected to something that’s trying to kill your calling, stand up. Doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Lift your hand as a sign of surrender. God, like Mike’s ankle and knee, won’t heal what you won’t reveal. Reveal that you need the healer and lift those hands.
Father, I thank you that the first step of healing is identification. Father God, we’ve been cuffed to comfort, culture, the wrong community, criticism, criticizing, crazy, confusion – father we’re asking can you uncuff us and cuff us to you? Today, we want to be cuffed to Christ. Today you’re starting to do a deep work and transform us.
We’re transformed by the renewing of our mind. Gives us your principles again father, to be hungry for your word daily. Illuminate your word without a pastor, just your Holy Spirit, speak to us and show us father God how to change the patterns by changing the principles.
Put your hands on your mind right now. Say, “God change my mind.”
This series is the start of a journey. Let’s commit to at least the next 8 weeks to get uncuffed from some things.
Altar Call: The Holy Spirit has been drawing you to Christ all service. You don’t uncuff from something that’s bad not to cuff to something else. Cuff to Christ. He’s the only one that can help you to be actually free. Mike was a liar, manipulator, addicted to porn, cuffed to crazy and confusion, and doing all kinds of dumb stuff. He didn’t have the power in himself to correct the crazy, but Christ…Christ went to a cross and died on calvary to buy back a relationship with you and the father. Today, all you have to do to claim it is believe by faith. It’s by faith we are saved, through the grace of Jesus Christ. It is by far the greatest human decision you can ever make. For Mike, it has given him the chance to transform all his pain into purpose and security in his present and future because his eternity is already settled from putting his faith in Jesus. Today is your opportunity to connect to Christ. Don’t worry about culture’s opinion, or religious opinions saying that you need to change this and that, those are people’s opinions. The Bible says, all you have to do is repent, turn from what you’re doing right now, and turn to Christ, and bring your faith to him and he will accept you, and believe that He did it for you, and He will receive you as He received His son. If that’s you, we’re going to pray on the count of three. God is about to do a miracle in your life through your confession and belief 1. You’re making the greatest decision of your life. 2. Mike is proud of you, but more importantly, your name is going to be written in the lamb’s book of life for eternity. 3. Shoot your hand up in the air.
Boldly confess this prayer. It’s like a cuffing from your old lifestyle. You never have to walk alone again. Your isolation has been answered and your desperation, Jesus will fill every void, this is your moment.
Let’s Pray Together: God, thank you for sending Jesus, just for me. I used to be cuffed to culture, but now, I’m cuffed to Christ. Today, I believe that you lived, and you died, just for me. I’m giving you my life. Change me, renew me, transform me, I’m yours, forever, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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SUMMARY NOTES
- All Relationships are About Patterns Before They Are About People
- Your Mind Is Renewed By God’s Principles
- God’s Principles Always Come With Parameters
- God’s Parameters are Always for Protection
- Cuffing Is All About Control
- You Can Never Be Cuffed and In Control
- You Never Pick Right When You Pick from Your Pain
- Cuffing Only Happens with Connection & Communication
- Comfort Ignores Caution and Leads to Compromise
- Consistent Toxic Connections Lead to the Cutting of Your Calling
- The Lap You Lay In Can Limit Your Life
- Where You Lay Your Head Determines Your Legacy
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Abby Olurin Dames
I love Jesus, my husband, Will, my toddler daughter, Sola, and the beautiful friends and family in our lives. Me and Will are from the Bahamas, but we currently reside in Austin, Texas. We joined TC Nation as online members of Transformation Church in 2017 when we moved to Austin from Miami, Florida. In 2020, we also happily took on a more active role with the E-Fam of Elevation Church by fellowshipping with other married couples and were pleased to have the opportunity to join TC Beta Belong Groups. I believe that representing God doesn’t have to be done in “traditional spaces”. After listening to Pastor Mike's sermon, "Who's the Minister Here?", it became my mission to shed light on Christ in all arenas, including, but not limited to, corporate America, marketing, technology, and finance. I'm not perfect, but I'm progressing. I am a marketer, but first, I am a Christian, and the aim of this blog is to publicly share my sermon notes as a form of stewardship. I hope that these message notes can bring clarity to anything you may be seeking and help you to experience the peace and glory of Jesus Christ. I'm happy to pray for you as well if you ever wanted to shoot me an email. The effectual fervent prayers of many of you have helped countless circumstances in my life and in the lives of those around me. Thank you! Also, for any Amazon specific links that you see, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
