Cuffed to Comments is the 7th installment from ‘Cuffing Season’ – a series delivered by Pastor Michael Todd of Transformation Church.

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Here are my sermon notes for this sermon delivered Sunday, June 12, 2022,

As per usual, let me remind you that these are just my notes.

Even though I always make extra effort to capture as many pertinent points as possible, you really ought to watch the full sermon to get the fullness of this powerful message.

I really believe that this whole series is relevant and convicting.

May it bless you as much as it has blessed me.

Important Announcement

What if the only thing we get in 2022 is freedom?

Pastor Mike needs us all to pray for his upcoming sabbatical. This is when he takes 7 days tucked away at a hotel to be with God, undisturbed.

Transformation Conference Version 2 will be held in October.

Only 3000 tickets will be made available and it will not be streamed.

They will go on sale June 26, 2022

Pre-Sermon Message

The first step to repenting is simply Reconsidering.

The Fruit of the Spirit should be obvious, Not obscure.

• Commit at another level to consistence

You don’t get Deliverance Without Discipline

• You wanna see miracles and wonders, stop clogging up the line with
• Discipline is prerequisite for deliverance

²⁸ A person without self-control

    is like a city with broken-down walls.

Proverbs 25:28 NLT

Without Discipline:

• you become vulnerable
• your legacy wont last without walls
• without discipline you are overwhelmed with anxiety
• you’re not ready for the future

Commit To Discipline

• To The Men
  • The problem is not the first look, but you can be disciplined not to turn your head again.
• Get rid of the excuses

Cuffed To Comments Sermon Notes

Read Nehemiah 1:3

• The wall keeps things out
• The gate lets things in.
  • When your gates are torn down, your discernment is gone
  • when your discipline and

No discipline + No discernment = Destruction

How to Fix It? – Read Nehemiah 1:4

• Compassion
• Conviction
  • Compassion without conviction leaves you in the same spot, sadder.
  • Anything God brings to your attention… the first place you should look is inside.

Compassion + Conviction = New Commitment

Read Nehemiah 2:1-5

God Talks to Nobodies to Change things For Everybody

• All Nehemiah did was obey the nudge of the Holy Spirit
• All you need is a nudge of the Holy Spirit and obedience

Stop Ignoring the Nudge from the Holy Spirit

• Nehemiah didn’t need a title, he needed a task
• Stop being caught up on titles
  • The lowest level of leadership is people respecting you because of your title
  • you should be respected based on influence
• You don’t need a title, you need a task
• God did not die for you to have a career
  • This is where you are cuffed to culture
  • what if the blessing is carrying a burden?

Note Nehemiah 2:11

• It didn’t take him a year. He took 3 days

Read Nehemiah 2:12-16

Your Anointing is not for an Announcement, It is for Action

• You don’t need to tell anybody what God placed on your heart do do what He called you to do
• we live in a culture of announcement
• (Declare) “I am anointed for action”

Read Nehemiah 2:17

‘Let us’

• Let us redefine church
• And let us rebuild
• Stop waiting for someone else to do what god called us tp do
• The disgrace only ends when we come together and rebuild what’s been turned down

Nehemiah 2:18

• People are waiting on you to start
  • See also Zechariah 4:10
  • Everyone else rejoices when the work ends but our God rejoiced when we start

Nehemiah 2:19

• Every start has a Sanballat (enemy in secret)
• When you are being uncuffed, please know you are being discussed
• they started commenting but that did not change the calling

The moment you commence, get ready for the comments.

Cuffed to Comments

• uncuff from other people’s comments
• don’t look for affirmation more than the information
• Don’t forget…God has been affirming you for decades
  • Don’t let the creation(people) affirm you
• What “they” comment does not affect your calling

Who is They?

• don’t be busy paying attention to people you cant afford to be giving them
• we weren’t built for this much feedback
• the feedback I desire is what comes from heaven
• when you don’t define your “they”, everyone becomes the enemy
• sometimes ‘they’ is your friend or family
• sometimes “they” is the critical version of you that
• It doesn’t matter if ‘they’ don’t believe in you, God Did!
• You have to still answer your call in the face of comments

Read Nehemiah 4:1

The comment first questions:

• Actions – “what are you doing?”
  • Keep going
  • Do it again
• Authenticity (or Motive) – “are you rebelling against the king?”
  • let them question
  • Obey God’s will or not
  • God doesn’t ask you to change your personality to fulfil His purpose
    • Be who God has called you to be, as you
    • the worst thing you can be is an imposter in your own body
  • Don’t let anyone challenge the motive God gave you for the calling for him
• Assurance – “he flew into a rage and mocked the Jews”
• Ability – “What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they’re doing?” – Nehemiah 4:2
  • beware of people who question your ability to do what God has called you to do
• Assets -“Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?”
  • If people always remind you of what you don’t have, you don’t need them

My First Response to Comments is to Go to God in Prayer

• Read Nehemiah 4:4-6
• Follow Nehemiah’s example – Hear the comments,  pray, and keep on building

Master the Art of Fulfilling your Calling in the midst of the Comments

• You cannot cancel what God has called
• God is going to call some of us to do Audacious things
• Read Jeremiah 12:5
  • God is saying to you “If you can’t handle these relationships, if you can’t show up to work on time,…” how are you going to handle bigger things? If you cannot run with these mere men, how are you going to run with horses?
  • Note that running with something with 4 legs (horses) will always be faster than running against something with 2
• God’s confidence in our capability is higher than our current capacity
• Comments stop when you forfeit your calling
  • No one comments on people who do nothing
  • Conversely, only people who do nothing, always has the time to comment on what you’re doing

Read Nehemiah 6:1-3

Do you have more time than task?

• You can only engage in the comments, when you’re not engaged in a great work
  • If you have time to be that petty, you need to ask God for a new purpose
• Nehemiah 6:4 –
  • He called it a great work
  • Have the faith enough to stop looking on the comments and call what He gave you to do “A great work”
  • Don’t let people make you look at your ‘blessing’

Your Commitment has to be Consistent

Read Nehemiah 6:5-8

• Comments are a trap for for you to lower your character
• Stay out the comments to safeguard your integrity
• Find somebody with some wisdom instead of venting online
• It is ok to have emotions, that’s natural but don’t express those emotions in the comments
• When you comment in community, they can point you back to God

Read Nehemiah 6:9

• Continue the work with even greater determination
• Don’t come down off your wall, the work is too great

The Criteria To Comment in my Life

• You have to:
  • be committed to Christ
  • have connection with me
  • have compassion for others
    • they have to see your compassion before they see your critique
    • put yourself in their shoes
• The above are the same criteria for Correction
  • Don’t correct if you don’t connect
  • Turn off the comments of what people have said about you

Read Nehemiah 6:15-16

• Turn the comments off to anything that’s hindering your calling

Fulfilling your Calling in the midst of Comments takes Courage

• Turn the comments off to turn to God
  • See Joshua 1:9
• God is with you
• Take your compassion and conviction and make a fresh commitment

If you enjoyed Cuffed to Comments Sermon Notes…

Be sure to check out last week’s notes as well.

It was one for the books. Trust!

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Have a great week friends.

Stay Blessed