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Applying pressure is a colloquial phrase that means to put your best effort, your best attention, and your best devotion into a plan, place, or person.
When we talk about applying pressure, most times it equates to a romantic situation. If someone really wants you, they need to "apply pressure"—call, text, let you know they're thinking about you, send flowers, take you out. The people who understand their value understand what type of pressure needs to be applied.
The message today is this: if you really believe in God, this is going to be your strongest year yet. Apply some pressure.
Applying pressure can also mean to overcome obstacles and excel at a task through brute willpower. This sometimes comes at the expense of loss of sleep, loss of friendships, and less free time. When you apply pressure, it means you don't have the physical strength to do it, but something in your spirit is willing you forward—getting out of bed for that job that's driving you crazy. It takes all the willpower you have.
Research has shown that people who apply pressure on themselves tend to perform better than those who do not. Self-imposed pressure can lead to increased motivation and focus that improves our productivity.
Applying pressure looks like insanity to the untrained eye. Here's the difference:
There are people in this room and watching online who don't need people applying pressure on you. You're going to apply self-imposed pressure on yourself. You've been frustrated because where you are is not where you know God wants you to be. That's why people think you're aggravated.
Some of you got labeled mean, and people don't even realize you have one of the biggest hearts they will ever see. But sometimes you come off mean because you have these spurts where you start thinking about all the stuff you lost, all the dumb stuff you did, and the time you wasted. Then you get anxiety because you feel like if you made all those mistakes, do you have enough time to fix it later? So you get in a rush, you get in a hurry, and you get irritated.
But God said you don't have to act funny with anybody. You don't even have to explain yourself. This year is an inside job—if nobody tells you, you can make it.
I'm on tour right now, and something crazy is happening. Every city I go to, people just start saying, "Michael, Michael!" I went into a restaurant and the cashier recognized me. Someone asked, "Why do you just say your name like that?"
I told them: I was in a pandemic and didn't have any members. I was used to my members telling me to preach. Then I realized I didn't have anybody to tell me to preach. So mid-sermon, I had to encourage myself. I had to call myself. My psychologists told me it's okay to talk to yourself as long as you don't answer yourself. But forget that. I'm applying pressure this year.
I'm going to be like, "You better get it. I'm about to get it. What are you waiting on? I ain't waiting on nothing." You can't waste another year like last year.
You ought to look at your neighbor and say, "Neighbor, I don't even need a praise partner. I'm crazy enough to praise God all by myself. I'm crazy." How do you know you're crazy? Your praise is crazy.
Pressure can burst a pipe or pressure can make a diamond.
This is why people can't figure you out. If they were under the same amount of pressure you're under, they would have exploded. That's why you walk different than everybody else around you. It's not because you're arrogant. You had enough pressure on you that should have broke you, but God made you. Self-imposed pressure is different from peer pressure. It leads to increased motivation and focus that improves productivity.
I speak by faith that this is going to be the strongest, most productive year of your life. It's not because I'm worried about whether I'm going to fail. I am done being afraid of failure because of what people who are failing are going to think about me. Why are you up at night stressing? Because you don't want to look bad in front of people who ain't doing nothing.
For all my LeBron haters: LeBron isn't the GOAT because he went to the Finals and lost? No—it's people hating on him because he lost at a high level, and they can't even get to the level he's at. I'm preaching to you. This ain't about your haters. This ain't about your enemies. This ain't about your ugly cousin. This ain't about your mean family members.
I owe myself a whole other level of effort. 2024 is personal. I owe myself another level of focus. How much more could I have done if I was locked in? How much more could I succeed if I did what I was supposed to do?
You don't need a whole lot of people. You just need one person who will be in your ear saying, "You said you were going to get it." You've got too many friends. That's your problem. You got too many people pacifying you when you don't accomplish what God said you were going to do. You need one friend who's going to hold you accountable—one friend who, when you try to make excuses, says, "No. No. No. That ain't nothing but a cycle. You're doing too much. You ain't doing enough."
My pastoral challenge to you this year is to shift you from handling pressure to applying pressure. It's critical.
In Mark chapter 10, I see the story of Bartimaeus. Look at 10:46:
They reached Jericho. And as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.
I need you to underline "blind beggar." Remember his name is Bartimaeus. Remember his adjective. In the New Testament, you're known for your issue. In the Old Testament, you're known for your gift. That's crazy.
Joseph is in jail, and the scripture says he's in jail with a cupbearer and a baker. It doesn't tell me what his issue is. It doesn't say he's in jail with a murderer and a thief. It says he's in jail with a cupbearer and a baker. That's the point: you can be gifted and still be trapped.
Being anointed, being gifted, and being favored don't exempt you from trials. As anointed as I am, I wrestle with anxiety. As anointed as I am, even on tour, I find moments where I have to talk myself out of closing up because I'm not really a crowd person. Those who know me will tell you I'm very introverted.
It's almost like two people. Pastor Mike is extroverted, but Michael is very introverted. One of my doctors said it's a word called ambivert—when you're on, you're on, but when you're off, you're off. I have a level of insecurity at times.
That's why every night before I perform, I almost have a nervous breakdown. In my head I'm like, does anybody know me? Does anybody know the songs? Are they going to walk out on me? Is it going to go well? And out of nowhere, a peace comes over me. But that doesn't mean all they see is me on stage. Behind that wall, I'm having to tell myself to get it together.
Being anointed doesn't mean you don't go through nothing. Being anointed means you go through what people go through—you just don't come out how they come out.
Bartimaeus knew that it was Passover season. Christians were coming and would have to pass through Jericho. Bartimaeus went to Jericho because he knew Christians would pass through, and Christians are more apt to give to beggars than people who weren't kind. So even though he was blind and broke, he had enough sense to get in the right position.
You want to know why some of you are going to miss your blessing? Because you think if you ain't driving, you ain't going. Some of you are going to miss your blessing because you got a mindset that if I ain't driving, I ain't going.
I was at a record label where all these labels are trying to sign me. They roll out the red carpet—LED walls with my name, Starbucks in the building, t-shirts, everybody briefed. I'm walking around thinking, "Oh wow, this is incredible." But I'm also thinking, "I don't know, man. It's not really about me, you know. It's about everybody around me being blessed."
Out of nowhere, one of the executives says, "Oh man, we believe in Da Vinci." They're talking about one of my artists. "We love the Black Sheep family. We believe in Ta Vinci." They're showing me favor because of proximity. When you're in position, the favor is going to hit you.
When I was on tour and the offer came for Disney World in Orlando, my friend Terrell said, "I know the person up there. They're going to show you around and do everything." That wasn't my favor—that was his favor. But in a real relationship, there are times when I open the door, and there are times when you open the door. If you're too prideful and out of position, you're going to miss the season when a door could have been opened for you.
Position matters. Your posture matters. All my athletes know: I can tell if I'm going to beat you off the line by your position. If your hands are down here because that's what everybody does on Instagram, I know you're jammed because your first move is going to have to be corrected first.
Here's what really grinds my gears: you keep missing and falling for the same trick. God is blessing you in position. Then the devil sends a distraction. You get out of position to go tell somebody about their business. You don't realize the devil couldn't stop you. He just needed to pull you out of position.
I don't care what's going on in your family. Don't get out of position. There's something God is going to do through you for your whole bloodline. You can't get out of position.
My well-being and welfare is not just determined by who I am, but equally impacted by where I am. It's the principle of the place.
When you place two kids in two different environments, they will become two different people based on the environment. That's why I work as hard as I do—why I partner with our mayor to make sure we provide scholarships for every student we can in the Birmingham school system. My boys go to a Hoover school system because of where they're positioned. They get more opportunities.
People would treat you better if they knew you were a rose that grew out of concrete. You don't have a clue what you could have been if you didn't have to fight through your environment. Who you are is enhanced or damaged by the place. There are some places as fun as they are—you can't go. It ain't a sin to be in it. I'm just afraid of what the place can cause you.
In 2024, I need a tour guide, not a travel agent. A travel agent books you a flight and books you a trip to a place they don't plan on coming with you. A tour guide is in the jungle with you: "Keep your hands in the gate. No, that's a tiger right there. He will eat you. Don't touch that leaf. That's poisonous."
Many of us keep failing because we didn't have people in our life who would go through it with us. When we don't apply pressure appropriately, we believe that dead places can bring life. You got to apply pressure. If you don't, you're going to keep trying to get something out of a dead situation.
I need to apply pressure to the right area. If I apply pressure to the wrong place, I'm going to break something that wasn't even broken. That's why some of y'all are frustrated—you got people applying pressure to areas of your life that weren't even broken in the first place.
I have to make sure my hands are locked in together—because remember, this is going to support. Friendships don't work like this. Relationships don't work like this. If we're going to work, we got to be locked in.
Couples, y'all are going to have to have a hard conversation. Can't be locked and you ain't locked. If I'm saying I'm saving money and you spending money, eventually you're going to run out. Then I'm going to have to take what I was saving to fix yours. But if I say no, then you're going to treat me like I'm not worth nothing. Are we in? Are we locked in? If I'm locked in, there ain't no switching up.
There are two methods—two strategies. One season you may be here. One season you may be there. Both of them require you being locked in.
In order to properly apply pressure, I can't be afraid to get in God's presence. I'm so tired of begging Christians who ain't got a prayer life, ain't got a worship life. If you want it, apply.
Don't think everything you do is a party. Because while you're kicking it, he's on the verge of losing it. That's why certain people going to respect you later—because they're going to realize I couldn't kick it with you now because I was trying to kick something.
I carried us the first six months. You hold it down the next six months. I paid the bills this month. You get the bills next month. You got too many parasites in your life who all they do is take, take, take. When I apply pressure, dead stuff got to get back up again. I brought enough praise for everybody in my section.
There's a blind beggar named Bartimaeus sitting by the roadside when he heard that Jesus was passing by. His eyes don't work, but his ears work. You so busy crying about what don't work—when if you would just lock in on what does work.
What does Jesus passing by sound like? Is it his footsteps? Or did the conversation around him change? "What we going to eat? That girl wore that. It's going down in Nazareth. Is that Jesus? You know the one. The one who was healing the girl. Remember the girl who was sick and he brought Lazarus out. The Jesus who opened blind eyes. He healed the sick." That's why if you hang around me long enough, my conversation going to motivate you. I don't spend time talking about people. I spend time talking about what God can do through people.
When he heard Jesus, he began to shout, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!" Everybody's calling Jesus's name. So he had to take his praise to another level. That means he is an educated praiser. Everybody's calling him Jesus, but he says, "I'mma call you son of David."
What does son of David mean? Son of David was his messianic title. The people who called him son of David knew who he really was. I'm not just calling you Jesus—what your mama called you. I'm calling you the one who's going to die, go to the grave, take the keys back, and don't stay dead. You get back up with all power in your hand.
Verse 47 calls him "Jesus of Nazareth." Why did he do that? Because Jesus was a common name. Everything about Jesus's life was made common to prove to you that God can do uncommon stuff through common people. He wasn't born in a hospital. He was born out back with animals. He wasn't raised rich. He was raised poor. His name is Jesus—that's the most common name in that time. Every city had three or four Jesus's. That's why they called him Jesus of Nazareth—because people had his name but couldn't do what he did.
You can dress like me, talk like me, walk like me, swag like me, look like me. But if you ain't got the oil, it's not going to work.
Many of you keep feeling inadequate because you got people in your life who are making noise when you're trying to make a sound. Noisy people drawing out what you're trying to accomplish.
The people around him said, "Hey, be quiet. Hey, be quiet." Verse 48 says they were sternly telling him to be shut up. "You are embarrassing us. Shut up." But the people telling him to shut up got what he wants. He's blind. They can see.
You better stop letting people tell you to stop wanting what you want. You already got yours. You should be celebrating with me. And since you won't help me, I'm going to keep applying pressure.
We rather act like we got it together than admit we don't have it together. That's why your circle keeps walking away from you. But you are overflow. Y'all better listen to me. If you look crazy, I look crazy. If you want it, I want it for you. If you trying to get it, I'mma help you get it.
There are two types of people in your life. If a fight breaks out, they're going to ask what happened. I'm not a "what happened" type person. We'll figure out what happened when we get in the car. If you swing, I swing. I'm the type of friend that'll punch your mama and be like, "I thought it was serious. I'm sorry."
Don't mess around and praise around me. Cuz if I see you holler, I might just holler. If I see you shout, I might just shout.
He shouts, "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!" He doesn't ask for grace. He asks for mercy. Grace and mercy ain't the same thing. Mercy means I'm guilty of whatever they said. I did it. I'm wrong. But if you love me enough, just help me this time.
When Jesus heard, he stopped. Nowhere in the scripture does Jesus turn around for this story. But he stops. He looks at his crew and says, "Tell him, come here." You know how boss you got to be to have somebody yelling at you over here, but you never address the person who needs it? You address the people on your squad.
Some of y'all mad at God because you prayed, but God didn't answer your prayer because you think he's not going to answer it because he ain't talk to you. Sometimes God ain't got time to talk to you. He's talking to the person who's going to make it happen for you.
They tell him, "Cheer up. Jesus Christ is calling you. You can't go to God angry." Jesus says, "I want you to do this. First thing I need you to do is change your posture. I know people been ignoring you. I know folk left you hanging. I'm not them. I'm not going to bless you because you got an attitude. I'mma bless you because your heart showed me you in the right position."
Bartimaeus threw aside his coat and jumped up. Why did he throw his coat off? Beggars had to wear a beggar's garment. So when he threw his coat off, he took off his identity. I'm not coming to you as a beggar. I'm coming to you as I am.
When I pray, I don't say, "Lord, it's me, Pastor Mike Junior." You think he cares about my title? I don't go to God as a pastor. I go to him as Mike and say, "God, it's me." He's blind, which makes sense now—you see how he wouldn't stop? God will use what people labeled you as to train you for the season when God get ready to come.
He jumped up and he came to Jesus. It may take a while, but I'm waiting on you. When he gets to Jesus, Jesus says to him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
Can I ask you a question? If Jesus asked you right now, "What do you want me to do?" I would argue 90% of the room would know what to say. Some of your prayer is materialistic. But I'm like, if you ask me, Mike, what you want me to do for you? Cover my babies. If you don't give me another dime, if you don't give me nothing else—everything that's on their heart, God, just bless them.
When I pray, I don't approach God as "Pastor Mike Junior." I go to him as Mike and say, "God, it's me." Do you think he cares about my title? I don't go to God as a pastor—that's just a code. I go to him as myself.
God will use what people labeled you as to train you for the season when God gets ready to come. The blind man—it makes sense now why he wouldn't stop. He had been labeled by society, called by his condition, but God was preparing him for his breakthrough.
When the blind man got to Jesus, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" If Jesus asked you right now that same question, I would argue 90% of the room would know what to say. But here's what strikes me: some of your prayers are materialistic. When people ask me, Mike, what do you want God to do for you, my answer is simple. Cover my babies. If you don't give me another dime, if you don't give me nothing else—everything that's on their heart, God, just bless them.
You get to a point where you realize joy for you ain't about you doing it. That's for every parent who gets anxiety every time your child leaves the house. You want God to let them get there safely. Cover them, keep them, bless them, protect them, let their dreams manifest.
The blind man had been a beggar all this time—asking folks for money, for food. But when he got in the right presence, something shifted. He said, "If you open my eyes, I can get my own money. If you open my eyes, I get my own food." That's why some of you get a bad rep. People say, "They're always begging." Do you know how much pride it takes to ask someone for something?
Jesus said to him, "Go. Your faith has healed you." This is critical. Every miracle ain't identical. The way God does it for you isn't necessarily the way he does it for someone else. He doesn't specialize in cookie-cutter breakthroughs.
When Jesus said, "Your faith has healed you," instantly the man could see. But here's what blessed me: When we met him, they didn't call him a man. They called him "that blind beggar." But deliverance makes people see you for who you really are. I am not what I did. I am not who I used to be.
Instantly the man could see. And here's the thing—Jesus told him, "Man, you can go." But the man was like, "Nah, wherever you go, I'm applying pressure. I'm applying."
Can I ask you a question? Close your eyes. What do you see? It's darkness. Open your eyes. You get light. If he's blind all this time, all he sees is darkness. So when he opens his eyes, he follows Jesus because now that his eyes are open, this world ain't nothing but darkness anyway. I just want to see the light.
You may be here and you don't know Jesus. And I mean this from the bottom of my heart: Falling in love with Jesus is the best thing I ever did. I mean that. Plans go left. Things don't always work out. God has been the most consistent part of my life.
If you're in this room and you don't know Jesus and you want to get saved today, just let that be known. Maybe you're in this room and you're saved but you're slipping. Maybe you're in overflow. You're saved but you're slipping. Maybe you're watching online—you're saved but you're slipping.
Before the pandemic, I got baptized in front of my whole church in Farsdale because I wanted to show my church something: Just because I'm the pastor doesn't mean sometimes I don't need another dip. Let me free you. A Hoopy and a Bentley both need oil changes. Which means it's possible to be saved and your transmission slip. Sometimes life be lifeing. If you're in this room, online, or in overflow, and you're saved but you've been slipping, let that be known.
I pray for every hand that was lifted. I speak by faith, God, that you will give them a fresh start and a new beginning. God, like the psalmist said, create in us a clean heart. God, now that I'm 40, that means so much more to me, because he didn't ask for a new heart. He said, just clean the one I got. Create in me a clean heart and renew in me a steadfast spirit.
God, I come against distractions. I come against hurt. I come against anxiety. I come against pain. I come against this pressure that some of us can't even quantify—this pressure that makes us feel like we're running behind schedule, like we got to get it, got to get it, got to get it. We are on pace, God.
I thank you right now that you're giving us what eyes have not seen and ears have not heard. I come against all physical ailments, pains and body aches, sickness and disease. I come against mental and emotional anxieties, past traumas and trauma bonds and the things that hold us back.
Father, in the name of Jesus, our answer will forever be yes. Yes to your will, yes to your word, and yes to your way.
I know the devil is eavesdropping, and he's going to send a distraction this evening. I plead the blood of Jesus from the top of our heads down to the soles of our feet. I am a prayer warrior. I am a giver. I am a tither. I am consistent. I am focused. I will produce. This is the strongest year of my life.
