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Part 5 of 19
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Keys represent the principles of God that unlock the promises of God. This is the central concept of this series. There are promises locked up in heaven with your name on it, and you now have the keys to access them.
These principles operate like a master key—one key from God can unlock every door. Whether you need peace, joy, or any other blessing, there is a key for that. The principles of God are not limited to certain doors or certain situations; they work universally.
If you unlock these principles, you won't have to wait until Sunday for a pastor to pray for you. You'll have enough power to pray for yourself. The goal is not to create a church that treats the pastor like Jesus, but to empower every believer to access God's power directly.
I deal with the same anxieties and frustrations you deal with. I have real conversations with God about my struggles. But I've learned that everything good in my life comes from God's principles at work, not from my own effort.
The principle of generosity is a heart that's willing to give that leads to a life that freely gives. The goal is to create a church where giving is simply what we do—not just during offering times or building fund campaigns.
Here's the critical truth: you will never give an offering if your life is not an offering. If you don't give God your life, you'll never genuinely give a church your money. This is why I don't waste time with extended offering appeals. I'm trying to show you what true generosity looks like.
Generosity includes giving your time. If you have a niece or nephew going the wrong direction, you can't say you're too busy. That's where generosity begins—with your most precious resource: time.
Time is more important than money. A rich man with only a week to live would trade $50 million for more time. This is why generosity of time matters so much.
The principle of generosity also means we collaborate rather than compete. We don't compete, we collaborate. What God has for me is for me, and what God has for you is for you. I don't have to hate on your success because God has my own success. What's for me is for me, and what's meant for me won't miss me. When you get your breakthrough, I'm going to shout for your breakthrough because I know if God did it for you, He can do it for me.
I recently reached out to A.J. Johnson, who plays with the Eagles, and asked him to speak life into my sons about staying focused and living right. After he spoke to them with conviction and authenticity about his disciplines—not drinking, not smoking, waking up at 7 a.m. to train—I told him, "I just want to say thank you. You were generous with your time."
Our children need multiple voices speaking into their lives, not just one. This is also an expression of the principle of generosity.
The mindset principle suggests that what I believe about me often determines what I believe about God. In other words, we project our own inconsistencies onto God.
If you're inconsistent with your own promises, you think God will be inconsistent with His. You don't even pray like you should because you know there are promises you haven't kept. Because you didn't keep your word, you assume God won't keep His word either. But this thinking is a trap.
The principle of multiplication suggests that God did not simply create us to maintain, but He created us to multiply. God didn't call you to survive or just get by—He called you to thrive and exceed.
Here's what makes this principle powerful: multiplication and addition can look the same on the surface. Two plus two equals four, and two times two also equals four. This is why many of us struggle with consistency. When we start trusting God, tithing, and praying, it all looks the same at first.
So we think, "Why should I live right when they're living wrong and we both ended up with the same thing?" The answer is: they got addition, but God called you to multiplication. Because two plus three equals five, but two times three equals six. When God multiplies, you skip steps.
If you should go from level one to level two, God is getting ready to take you from one to five, or from seven to ten. When God multiplies, things accelerate in ways that don't make natural sense.
You must be careful about who you allow to attach themselves to you. Some people are only around because of your multiplication. Do an inventory of your circle and ask: Are you addition or multiplication?
In this season of life, don't waste time with people who can only make things add up. You need people who, when you give them something, will put Scripture on it and truly multiply it.
This applies to relationships too. You don't need someone based solely on physical appearance. You need someone who can multiply what you have. Give favor a chance to work. The difference between a sister with favor and just a fine sister is what they can do with what you give them. A sister with favor will flip groceries into a meal for the whole house. She'll flip a little money into paying bills and getting the kids clothes.
God gave you the ability to multiply, so find people who have that same multiplication anointing.
There's a deeper mystery here: His death is the secret sauce to your multiplication. A cross is nothing but multiplication. When certain people leave your life or when you experience loss, that's when God multiplies what remains.
I need those of you who are stronger after the breakup, wiser after they laid you off, who have more money without a job—I need you to shout that He multiplied it.
The principle of freedom suggests that freedom is not doing whatever you want to do, but doing what you were created to do.
The biggest misconception is that freedom means doing what you want. But if you're living however you please—drinking what you want, smoking what you want, seeing whoever you want—you may be free from people's opinions, but you are in bondage to sin.
Real freedom is when you can, but you choose not to. Freedom isn't just about what you say; it's about what you delete. It's when you can type out everything you're thinking in a message—all the hurt, all the frustration, the reminders of what someone didn't have when you met them—but then you delete it. That's freedom.
Freedom is having the right to tell someone exactly where they can go, but choosing not to. That's real power.
Freedom without love is labor. That's why some of you in relationships feel like your freedom has been taken. Your relationship feels like work.
But here's the key: You don't understand what you're free to till you understand what you're free from. Freedom is embracing who you are and the season that you're in.
I'm proud of my sons because each one knows who they are. Mike doesn't try to be Xander. Xander doesn't try to be Mike. Mason doesn't try to be either of them. They are free in who they are, and they understand the season they're in.
Here's what I know without a shadow of a doubt: this is my season. God did not bring me through everything He brought me through just for me to start acting like He ain't blessing me. I'm not that smart, not that old, not that young, I don't have a lot of money or connections. But I know my season.
I can be humble about a lot of things, but I cannot be convinced that God isn't working in my life. My walk got different the moment I understood that this is my season.
Freedom is understanding who you are and the season you're in. I know without a shadow of a doubt: this is my season. I'm not that smart, not that old, not that young. I don't have a lot of money or connections. But God did not bring me through everything He brought me through just for me to start acting like He ain't blessing me.
Your neighbor can sit there and be quiet all they want. I don't know if it's your season. But as for me, this is my season.
My whole life I've had to hide stuff God was doing in my life because the people I loved couldn't handle seeing everything that God was doing. But this season, that's between you and God. Every time God blessed me, I'm learning to say, "Oh, He did that, too." My whole demeanor this year is going to be different.
Doors are opening that I didn't even knock on. Prayers are being answered that I didn't even pray. God is going to do stuff you forgot you put in for, because you've been faithful over a few things.
You want to activate your season? Put this in your notes: Your giving, your living, and your speaking.
Sowing seeds strikes seasons. If a farmer doesn't plant a seed in the ground, he is ignorant to come back next spring and cry because he ain't got nothing.
Here's what God revealed to me: Your harvest is yours. The harvest doesn't come from God—the harvest comes from the seed. When God gives you a harvest, He's giving you the multiplication of what you gave Him. The blessings come from God, but your harvest is a direct indication or reflection of what you gave.
I've learned to give of my life. When I go to events and believe in what's happening, I show up even if they can't pay me. I believe in them. At concerts, we don't just sing and run out the back door. We stand there and try to hug everybody, tell them we love them, and be kind to people. My brother told me someone said, "Your brother bought my plane ticket for me to fly overseas to play basketball." I don't even remember who he is. But my life is one that gives.
Be good to people. Love people. Try your best to be fair and just. My entrepreneurs, don't jack up your prices and try to get over on people. Be fair. Do what has to be done. Live in a way that opens doors for your life.
Death and life lie in the power of your tongue. When it's your season, you got to be careful what you joke about. In my season right now, things are happening suddenly. I'm learning to declare what God is doing.
My God is a little hood, too. So when I pray, He says, "Bet." That's how I see my God.
God wants to bless you, but He won't break a principle just to bless you. If you then I. There are some things you got to do that allow God to do what He wants to do.
God grants favor, but He does not play favorites. I used to think favor meant I was His favorite. But favor means I've lived my life in a way that He's placed something on me. Or maybe I haven't lived perfectly, but He sees what's in me.
You don't get favor because you get it right. You get favor because there's something in you that He needs out of you.
Favor means God is preserving you until you realize who you are.
Freedom happens when you embrace who you are. Freedom is important because love cannot exist without freedom. God loves you so much. He gave you free will and said, "I want you to pick me."
Think about how deep that is. If you were God and created people, wouldn't you make them worship you? You'd program them. But God said, "No, no programming. Choose me." And the devil comes saying, "You're really going to pick that? Come over here, it's good. God told me I can eat whatever I want. God said turn the other cheek." But God doesn't sell you a fairy tale. He says, "Here's what it requires."
You don't know what you're free to till you know what you're free from.
This is what Christians have set aside as Palm Sunday. In Matthew 21:1-2, Jesus sends two disciples to find a donkey tied there with her colt by her and untie them and bring them to Him.
You didn't shout when I said Mount of Olives because you don't know what it represents. You get anointing oil from an olive. He's at the Mount of anointing.
The olive in itself isn't special. But when you start squeezing it, crushing it—they would stomp on the olive, squeeze it hard enough, and drips of oil come out of it. The anointing only came from something that was broken.
People don't realize what they're doing to you couldn't break you if they wanted to. This is why the Psalmist says, "He anoints my head with oil. So much so that my cup overflows."
Can God provide or not? God says, "If I just touch your cup, you'll think your situation was blessed. But if I anoint your head, you'll realize overflow doesn't come to you—it comes out of you."
Bethphage means the house of affliction. They're headed to Jerusalem, the holy place. Anything that's anointed is set aside as holy. The Mount of Olives is sort of a place where you think you're catching hell because God doesn't like you. But really, you're catching hell because He's preparing you for your next place.
If you've been catching hell in a season where you've been doing stuff right, you ought to shout, "I'm in transition. God's taking me from affliction to anointing."
Jesus tells them to untie the donkey and her colt. Most people think Jesus had one donkey, but the scripture says both the donkey and the baby donkey, the colt.
God says, "I can't ride it till you release it. I can't use it till you get free from it." Until you get the sense to untie yourself from stuff you were tied to, God won't be able to use you like He really wants to use you. God won't use you as long as you're still tied.
God says, "If I untie the baby but don't untie the mama, the mama's going to be jealous of the baby. And if I untie the mama and don't untie the baby, the baby's going to be bitter thinking mama left him. So what I'm going to do is break every curse off of the family all at the same time."
If there's some stuff you need God to take off your whole family, shout that you want freedom in the room. God's getting ready to break some stuff not just off of you, but off your mama, your father, your brother, your sister, your babies.
Donkeys are unpredictable and stubborn. They don't listen to nobody. The only person that could tame a donkey was Jesus.
But here's what's profound: Jesus rode the baby donkey, not the mama. You would think He'd ride the mama because she has experience. But God said, "I don't want to use something that's already been used. I need something that ain't got no experience. I need something that ain't never been exposed. I need something that ain't never been ridden. So when I use it, they can say that was nothing."
The next time your circle laughs at you when you tell them you're going to start a business and they say, "But you ain't got no experience"—that must mean I'm a perfect candidate for God to do everything He wants to do.
Everybody comes to church because something in your spirit says, "If I go there, I can get untied." When you're tied, you can move, but you ain't going nowhere. You can be busy, but don't get nothing done.
There are certain people in your life who like you better tied. All you really do is go in circles. They can bring you in when they want. When they don't want to fool with you, they can let you back out. When they want to be your friend again, they can be. Then when other people come around, they can let you loose. Then when they need something from you, they pull you close. Then when they're done with you, they're done.
The scripture didn't say the donkey untied itself. This is for six of y'all who are hard on yourself because you keep saying, "I should have knew better." No, you can't know better. There are certain matters of the heart that you can't control. There's certain stuff you're in that no matter how hard you pray, you ain't going to have the strength to get out of it.
But if you connect to somebody with some anointing, if you ever get an intercessor—an intercessor will walk up and untie you. But here's the mature understanding: they untie you, but they keep you tied. They just change owners.
God says, "I'm going to free you because you got need. But I'm not going to free you to be alone because you ain't mature enough."
You cannot untie yourself. Just as the scripture shows the donkey being tied and untied by others, certain matters of the heart are beyond your control. There are situations you find yourself in where no matter how hard you pray, you won't have the strength to escape on your own.
But when you connect to somebody with anointing—when you get an intercessor—they will walk up and untie you. Here's the mature understanding: they untie you, but they keep you tied. They simply change owners. God says, "I'm going to free you because you have need. But I'm not going to free you to be alone because you ain't mature enough."
Jesus doesn't go to the donkey himself. He sends somebody to bring the donkey to him. This matters because it's not just about your individual freedom—everything attached to you is coming out too. It isn't any fun if you come out but your team doesn't come out with you.
Shake your neighbor's hand and shout, "Everything attached to me is coming out. Everything attached to me is going to be better. Everything attached to me is going to be stronger." When God unties you this year, old things pass away.
Donkeys are used to carrying baggage. This entire Resurrection story is about giving. But watch this: Jesus says, "I'm going to change your whole narrative in one sitting." The very thing that's known for carrying baggage is now about to carry a blessing.
The owners of the donkey sowed a seed. The disciples sowed obedience. The donkeys themselves sowed submission—and this was a wild donkey. Yet nowhere in scripture does the donkey ever act a fool.
The people expected a savior who was 6'5", 250 pounds, looking like The Rock on a white horse with an army behind him to set the people free. Instead, Jesus comes soaking wet on a baby donkey with no army—just 12 men walking behind him in sandals.
Jesus uses what's used to being used to be used. Nobody loves donkeys. Nobody keeps a pet donkey or brushes theirs while saying, "Hey, look at my donkey." You kept the donkey in the back. When you went on a trip, you threw all your bags on it and hit it.
Some of you are going through a difficult season in life because you have people who do nothing but beat on you—telling you what you're not, what you won't be. Every time they need you, they throw everything they have on you. They never show you compassion. They never show you love.
Conversely, some of you are frustrated because you're a horse in love with a donkey. When a horse and a donkey mate, they birth a mule—a mule has the intelligence of a horse but the strength of a donkey. But there's one problem: it can't reproduce. So it has all the intangibles but no fruit. They have two degrees and money but no peace. They have a Mercedes and 10 bedrooms and are almost about to lose their mind.
I can be broke with no friends as long as God keeps his hand on my life and I can produce something.
It was a mother donkey and a son. Why is it important that it was a son? Because had it been a female donkey, it would have needed somebody to reproduce. The male represents the power to produce. Jesus rides a wild donkey, tames it, and when he gets to the city, everybody who believed in Jesus grabbed palm leaves and laid them on the ground. He got a king's welcome.
The people who believed him had palm trees. The people who didn't believe were behind them, eavesdropping. You got to be careful when you got favor, because favor attracts crowds. The only problem is you don't know which ones see you and which ones will kill you.
On Sunday, they screamed "Hosanna." By Friday, that same crowd shouted, "Crucify." Stop letting the praise of people go to your head, because if you live for their acceptance, you will die from their rejection.
There are two types of people in your life: those who will shout when it's prophesied—"Hosanna"—then kill you when it manifests. When you go to work tomorrow, love on everybody on your job. While you're all talking about getting a promotion, you click up tight at lunch. You say things like, "One day I'm going to run this place." But I discovered we can all be friends when we're talking about it. But when I get mine before you get yours, it shows me if you're really with me or against me.
Be careful who you sit next to in church. Both of y'all shout because you need something from God. Bind every hater on your row. Look at them and say, "I'm going to shout for your breakthrough. You shout for my breakthrough. I'm going to shout for your miracle. You shout for my miracle."
"Hosanna" means "Glory to God in the highest. Save us." "Crucify me." What I discovered is the crowd didn't change. The words did. They didn't even realize that in saying "kill him," they were really saying "Hosanna," because if he don't die, he can never get up. If he never gets up, you never get up.
They go from a plea to a judgment. The request stayed the same; the verb changed. That's why some of you don't understand what God is doing in your life. You say, "I need peace." Then God takes people. And you're like, "I didn't say take them." No—peace and taking them were attached.
Palm leaves come from palm trees. Palm trees are used for shade. Keep your shade. I don't need to hear you yell that I'm great. Don't matter if one wrong story comes out about your daddy. I knew something was wrong with him. I could tell.
There's a duality within us—there's a saved me and a sick me. The saved in me is going to shout "Hosanna," but the sick me is going to shout "Crucify him." The saved me says, "Lord, I need you." The sick me says, "I got it."
Often when I shout, "Lord, I need you," he does something my flesh doesn't like. What I said was, "God, fix it." What I meant was, "God, fix it, but don't touch this." But you didn't realize that in order for him to fix it, he had to extract that.
We either deify or demonize. We either make them a god or make them a devil. When they're loving you and doing what you want, they're everything. The moment they tell you no, they're nothing.
Every teen does this to your parents. When they let you go where you want, they're the best mom in the world. The moment they start fussing, "I can't wait to get out of this house." Hosanna, crucified. That's why every parent—your children will love God because you are a type of God in their life.
I try my best to be a good example, but I don't always get it right. My children know the real me. They know the one who preaches and the one who cusses. They know the one who fuses and goes downstairs and won't come back up because anxiety is kicking and I get depressed.
I try my best to live in a way in front of them that shows them a balanced God. Some of us only shout for the Lord that giveth, not the one who taketh away. But that same God you're talking about said, "I am a jealous God." It's the same people who yelled "Hosanna" who crucified him. What makes you think you're so different?
This whole Resurrection story is about giving, and we miss it. The owner gave the donkey. The donkey and the colt gave submission. Jesus gets to the donkey, and they take the disciples' jackets off and put them on the donkey as a saddle. The disciples gave their coats. Jesus gave his life so you could reap life more abundantly.
All of this is happening because everybody had a spirit of generosity. For God so loved the world that he made an exchange. Give God something you can't find in your bank account—call your life. Give him your life. All of it. He got your imperfections. He got your ups and your downs. He got your wrongs and your rights.
God never asked you to be nothing but you. It's never too late to make an exchange. I'd rather raise an offering of souls than an offering of money, because I want my life's work to be that boy emptied hell. I want hell to have a staff meeting about me. I want the devil to call this meeting to order and say, "Hey, what are we going to do about that little negro in Birmingham? He's crazy."
You can be saucy, have swag, be paid. God ain't never told you to be nothing more than who you are. He just said, "Let me use you."
What God is doing in this season is so much bigger than color, so much bigger than how much money you make, so much bigger than where you live. God's looking for people who just want to be used. God don't mind you having stuff. As creative as you are, the way your mind works, the way you see and analyze—God's got to give you some money. But the problem is you're trying to get bread when you should have been connected to the bread.
You're chasing the wrong bread. He said, "I am the bread of life." That bread is going to come when you get that bread. He said, "Drink from me, and you will never thirst again." Come to me, all who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Every time you make a step toward him, he gives you more.
