Kicked With Clean Feet | Dr. Mike Woods Sr. | Radah Church | Thursday, 4-14-2022

Well, praise the Lord, and grace and peace be multiplied to each one of you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is Apostle Michael Lyris Woods, and welcome to Radha Now. I'm super excited tonight to be in your presence and share the word of the Lord. Listen, I am here in Birmingham, Alabama. I am not in my normal environment, as you can see. I had an assignment here on this morning And I knew I had to get this word that was bubbling in my belly out. So I wanted to make sure that we came in and share with you on tonight. Listen, you don't want to miss this teaching. So do me a favor, guys. I need you to share this right now, whether you're watching us on Twitter, whether you're watching us on YouTube, whether you're watching us on Facebook, however you choose to watch us. I need you to share this. I promise you, you'll be blessed for doing it. As a matter of fact, the Bible even says we're blessed to be a blessing. Now listen, I'm telling you now, this word is going to bless you, so it would behoove you— yes, Lord— to make sure that you share it. Amen. So tonight I'm gonna get right into the heart of this because I just believe that the Lord has something to say to us, right? So listen, this is Holy Week, right? And we're leading up to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. A lot of things have went on this week. Today, Thursday, would actually commemorate in history the day that the Last Supper took place. Well, if you understand this The Last Supper happened after Jesus had literally washed the disciples' feet. So I want to really focus in on the event of Judas betraying Jesus, and I want to extrapolate some things out of this teaching that I believe will be very helpful to you in your journey to a resurrected mentality, to a resurrected purpose, a resurrected place in life or society, I believe you got to understand how betrayal plays a role in that. And so let's start tonight, and our text— and we'll go back to it as I teach— uh, is coming from Saint John's Gospel. And I'm going to read one verse for the sake of time and brevity so that we can take some time to really hermeneutically adjust of the story so that we can make some real life application to this teaching on tonight. So stay with me. Again, if you're here, I need you to share this. Again, whether you're YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or even if you're watching this by television, I need you to get someone on the phone, text them, and share this word because betrayal has a great power inside of your purpose. And some of you don't understand why you betrayed by parents, by family members, by friends, by ex-husbands, by ex-wives. Listen, God has a plan. My God, I feel the anointing, but every betrayal in your life. So let's read this text in John 13:18. We're going to pray And I'm going to jump right into the teaching of this word on tonight. So let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you, God, for the opportunity to teach your word. And I pray, God, that it will go out with power, authority, and simplicity. And I pray, God, that as revelation flows, we yield ourselves to revelation knowledge. And God, I yield myself as a conduit of revelation and wisdom. So as the revelation flows, I pray for the wisdom to teach it. And I pray for those that hear that they will have the wisdom to apply it, Lord. And I thank you for it now in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen. And thank God. Let's get into this. Amen. John 3:18. The Bible says this is Jesus is talking. Jesus is talking here. And I'm reading from the New International Version. Jesus says this, and again, this is at the Last Supper, right? And Jesus stands up and he says, I am not referring to all of you. I know those I have chosen. Good God. But this is to fulfill the passage of scripture. He who shared my bread has turned against me. Oh my God. Let's read it again. He says, I'm not referring to all of you. He says, I know, hear me, this is Jesus talking, who I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the passage of scripture. He who shared my bread, my God, has also turned against me. And that latter part, turned against me, also can be transliterated in the Greek as has turned his heel against me or has lifted his foot against me to kick me. And because of that, tonight I want to put a subject on this, and we just want to call this Kicked with Clean Feet. I'll say it again: Kicked with Clean Feet. I'm gonna say it one more time: Kicked with Clean Feet. And if I would use a subthought, I would say betrayal leaves clues. And somebody may say, Michael, how in the world can you, uh, say kick with clean feet? Well, again, if you understand the narrative of this story, man, you, you got to understand that Jesus had just finished washing their feet before they went to dinner as a sign of servitude and humility. He washed the feet of his apostles. And the reality is, now Jesus says, one of you is gonna turn around and kick me with clean feet. Listen, you got to be aware. And I'm just gonna come right out the gate hardcore with this, man. A people who are at your feet today, and it's so easy for them tomorrow to be at your throat. You got to be very careful. Betrayal— watch this— is one of those things where it never comes from the outside. Betrayal has to happen from the inside. I'm gonna say that again. You cannot be betrayed by someone you have not let in, someone you have not trusted. Oh my God. Betrayal can only happen with those you have allowed in your inner circle. Those you have trusted with secret information. Those you have opened your life up to. Those are the only ones who can really betray you. You can't be betrayed by Cousin Bobo. Hear me, that you never see, that you never talk to. You can't be afraid by your friend or neighbor of the street that you never have any intimate, up-close relationship with. Betrayal happens from the inside, and that's why you got to be very cautious of the people who you allow your feet, because Really, when you look at what is happening to Jesus here, the people you allow at your feet— and this is why my subthought is betrayal leaves clues— you have to be careful. You have to be very watchful when you have people around you, because the very ones that you let close will be the very ones that leave your feet and go at your throat to destroy you, because many times betrayal is born out of envy, is born out of jealousy, is born out of the inability to handle who you are or who you are becoming. And so you have people close that the only reason they're close is they're trying to figure out how to trip you up, how to create your demise. How to take your place. Oh, so you got to be careful. Listen, betrayal usually is never planned, but it's always born out of arrogance and deception that the betrayer has in their heart because they arrogantly believe, one, they can operate in your level of purpose. Or two, they're deceived to believe that by betraying you, they're doing something right. And I need you to understand something. Betrayal is never cool. Let's get a working definition of betrayal. So betrayal is the violation or the breaking of a presumptive contract. In other words, if I let you in and I trust you with sensitive information, it should be presumed that we have a covenant. Even without me saying it, I should not have to say this should stay in this room, or this should stay between you and I, or this should stay between our board. 'Or this should stay inside of our house.' It should not ever have to be said. It should be a presumptive contract because you're inside that you should never break that trust. But it's the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence— watch this— that produces a moral or psychological conflict. Oh my God. Within a relationship among individuals— watch this— that were not even up close. So because you were trusted to be up close and then you chose to publish information that only you get to see up close in Gath, in the— among the scribes and the Pharisees, in the world. Oh my God. On your timeline, on the vlogger's couch being interviewed, you had the opportunity to have a trust and a— oh my God— that you shouldn't have never broken. And this is why when you are called of God and you have great purpose on your life, You better be sure that the people you let inside are people you can trust. Devil, you're a liar. Atabasi uramen kiska talamande. Jesus. Jesus. You have to have people in your life that you could trust. Otherwise, the betrayal could destroy your entire organization. The betrayal could cause you to lose everything. Listen, I'm not teaching you something somebody told me. I'm teaching you something tonight that I've gone through. I'm teaching you something— oh my God— where I've had people betray me in various areas in business and ministry, and it has cost me so much because I lack the discernment that I was necessary. I was naive to the fact that this person really did not have my best interest in heart, and the whole time they was trying to figure out how to sabotage me so that they could— oh my God— either become me or take a place in my life that they were not called to be in in the first place. Oh boy, I tell you. So Many times— I want you to hear this— betrayal is often an act of supporting a rival cause. In many times where— so the whole time you thought they were for you, they really were against you. The whole time you believed that they was on your side, They really could care less about your side. Oh my God, Jesus. They care. They care nothing about your side. And the reality is, that's all bad news because that's not the way you do business. And what happens is someone who has a spirit of betrayal on them they end up being labeled after they do the betrayal as a traitor or betrayer. I'm sorry, that's, that's the label they get put on them, and they end up not being trusted by others in the long run. So perhaps tonight, if you're listening to me, if you're watching me by television, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, however you're seeing this, you might ought to think twice about betraying. Listen, here's what I— here's my, here's my advice to you. If you can't handle the inner circle, if you can't handle the responsibility of being around greatness or being around purpose or walking with people who have a responsibility that's greater than what you seek, Oh my God, then you need to make the choice not to even enter into it because that's a dangerous place for you. So in order to really get a good understanding of this, let's really look at the pathology of the betrayal of Jesus, because that's what we're talking about. So the reality is, from the moment that Judas plants a kiss on the cheek of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Hear me, Jesus goes to his purpose. Think about this. So that says to me, first of all, that Judas was a part of the plan, because if Judas doesn't kiss Jesus, he doesn't go to the cross. Then you and I are not saved. What are you saying? I'm saying to you, men and women of God, you kingdom entrepreneurs who have assignment from God, every one of you will have a Judas. I believe for every 12 people there's a Judas. For every 12 people in your inner circle, there's a betrayer waiting to betray you. Waiting to kiss you on the cheek. But while it may have immediate adverse effects, the overall goal is to push you into purpose, right? So let's keep moving. He sealed his fate. He sealed his fate. Yeah. When he kissed Jesus on the cheek, because now what we know Judas as is history's most famous traitor. This man sent Jesus to the cross. And, you know, and in some ways right now, I just— a matter of fact, not in some ways, in all ways, I thank God for Judas. Glory to God. I give God praise for Judas. I lift him up now and worship him for Judas. Ah, glory to God. I magnify his name for Judas. And if I were you, as a matter of fact, I'm going to stop right here to praise God for every bit. Oh my God. For every betrayer that ever entered my life. Oh my God. Every person that betrayed me in childhood. Every person that betrayed me in my teenage years. Every person that betrayed me in my adult life. Every person that betrayed me in business and ministry, I want to thank God for you right now, because if it wasn't for you, I never would have got pushed. Oh my God. Into the purpose. I would not be walking in the authority and the anointing that I have now. I would not have the wisdom and knowledge that I have now to help others. Thank you for betraying me. And I want to thank Judas Iscariot. For betraying Jesus, because if he wouldn't have ever betrayed Jesus, I would not be saved today. I would not be born again. I would not be sanctified. I would not be filled with the Holy Spirit. Thank God for Judas. Glory to God. Lord, I'm getting too happy here in this hotel room. But can I tell you something? Can I tell you something? You ought to praise God for your betrayers. Oh, and listen, you got to get this point, man. By identifying Jesus to the Jewish authorities, Judas set in motion a series of events that became the substratum of the Christian Faith. If he had not kissed Jesus, there'd be no cross, there'd be no resurrection, there'd be no ascension, there'd be no descending and ascending. Yo, God, there'd be no gifts of the Spirit. Now we wouldn't be able to enjoy heaven on earth. So thank God for Judas. Hallelujah. Thank God for Judas. Thank God for Judas. Listen, Jesus, his arrest, his trial, his death by crucifixion, and eventually his resurrection and his ascension, which these things are collectively known as the Passion of Christ. Christ would have never been able to move in his passion if Jesus would not have betrayed him. So stop complaining and wimping and going through all of these emotions and psychological debilitations over the people that hurt you, over the people that betrayed you. What you ought to do is rejoice because they were designed to push you into your passion, to, oh, oh, to push you into your dream, to push you into your vision. Oh my God, whoo, my God, today! Thank you, Jesus. Whoo, Lord, thank you. Lord, I thank you. Lord, I thank you. Whoo, for Judas. So when we talk about this, we got to understand that this pathology of Jesus's betrayal It brings to light, really, guys, one of the most— let me calm down here, yeah, yeah— the most ignatic— ignomatic or ickmatic. I'm so excited. Ignomatic figures in Jesus's life. He's important, and I want you to understand Jesus washed his feet. He got in there and got all the toe jam and everything out his feet, cleaned his feet, dried his feet, and even kissed his feet as a humble servant. Oh my God. Etabahi uskete brisco rumba ba ndede oskai. Yes, Lord. Whoa! But Judas was the subject of Jesus's speech in John 3:18. Jesus says, I'm not referring to all of you because I know who I've chosen. That says to me that not only do God know who He's chosen to do assignments that don't relate to betrayal. He also knows those who he chooses to betray. Just think about this a moment. Uh, maybe you women who have been molested before in your life, there's no way you would have thought you'd have been molested by your father, your uncle that you love and trust. But somehow it happened. And some of you are mad at God right now. Stay with me. Don't turn. Don't scroll. Because I went there. But some of you are really debilitated and stuck, and you really can't respect or love men properly because you went through that. And the re— and I'm not saying you're supposed to be this person that bows down to men. No, I'm saying that you are to reciprocate love. And listen, I know women who've gone through it and they have recovered and they reciprocate love because of Jesus Christ. And I'm just trying to tell you, and I think— and then I've— I see how God allowed them to go through it to help other women who are going through the same thing. So could God have stopped it? Yes, but he didn't. Is it God's fault? No, but he knew the will in that person and it happened. So what God says, I'm gonna work this together for good. The scripture said all things, Romans 6, I'm sorry, it's Romans 8:28. And we know, watch this, the word know in that text is ginosko, which means knowledge that is gained through experience. So, and we know because of what we've gone through that all things— so if I don't go through it, I won't know that this really can work together— that all things work together for good. But now which means profit, for a profit, for an increase, to help somebody. Oh my God. To them that love God. So God can take a bad situation. Is molestation right? No. Is molestation terrible? Yes. But if God uses it to help somebody else that has endured the pain because you went through it, then you let it work together for profit. And God says, I chose you to endure it. I know who I chose. He chose you to— he chose me to do certain betrayals that I know people can't handle. I was talking to someone today about someone I really love and am really concerned with their spiritual development and growth. It's a man of God. And I'm saying, okay, I'm seeing what's going on. And I saw some things in the spirit way before I even had conversations about it. So I'm talking to someone today who's close to this person. I'm saying, hey, we got to reel this in. Otherwise, flesh is going to get in the way and he's going to end up going through things he doesn't need to go through that he can omit if we reel him in and give him wisdom now. And I can give him wisdom because I was on the same path he's on. I made the same mistakes and bigger that he's making. But God delivered me. God set me free for real from fornication, from adultery. Oh my God. He delivered me and made me whole. And I need you to understand something. He brought me out of that whoredom lifestyle so that I can help others who are gifted that may find themselves on that same path. But you got to be bold and transparent enough to tell your story even though you were betrayed. Yeah, most of the time our biggest betrayal comes from within because we let ourselves down. We betray the principles that we know, and God knows we'll do that. And then we let people in that we shouldn't, and then they betray us. But then God says, I'm gonna use all of it to get the glory out of your life. Oh my God. He said, I know those who I've chosen. So I'm not talking to everybody on this one, I know everybody. I know the betrayers, I know the non-betrayers. He said, but this is to fulfill prophecy, the word of prophecy that says, he who shared my bread has turned against me. So the prophet Isaiah prophesied way before, oh my God, Judas betrayed Jesus, and said that the one that shares the bread is going to be the one that betrays you. Can I tell you something? Betrayal— oh my God— again, never is a surprise. It never comes from without. It's always within. God have mercy. Can I tell you something? And I'm moving. One of the most dangerous things you can do, and a lot of times you have to, is employ people you don't know. There's no— there's nothing on a person's resume that will tell you they're going to betray you or that they're going to steal from you. That they're going to lie to you. There's nothing— or that they'll go behind your back and gossip and talk about you, and you're paying their salary. Oh my God. There's nothing about what you see on paper that tells you that. You have to be able to discern that. So you have to discern so you don't enter into that danger. But many times, because you're supposed to be betrayed, God allows it, and you can't see it anyway. All you can do is try your best to discern it. But when you can't and it happens, you learn the lesson and keep moving and let the betrayal do what it was designed to do. But it's a very dangerous thing to have people around you you don't know. And again, a lot of times you just can't help that because you need their assistance. You need their skill set. You need their ability. Because the reality is you can't do everything right. Wow, listen, can I say this? You're no greater than the people you put around you. Oh my God, this is why we got to pray for discernment. No, notice what Jesus said. He said, I know who I have chosen. Again, we do our best, and even when we do our best, if God has ordained for betrayal to happen I want you to hear me, it's gonna happen. But you gotta understand the people around you are important. A wise man will always employ the efforts of others. They will always find others who can do what they cannot do. And at the end of the day, you gotta have those key people around you to fill the voids. When you cast vision, to put legs on the vision you cast. Because you will burn yourself out. You will wear yourself out trying to do everything. So this is why leaders, you got to have a prayer life. Husbands, you got to have a prayer life. Wives, you got to have a prayer life so you don't marry somebody that you have around you all the time that's really not in your corner. That's really not for you. Oh boy. You got to be able to discern What do you need most? Competence? Yeah, God, I hear you. Or character? And you got to decide what's more important. Or are both equally important? I'm going to go out on a limb to say competence and character are equally important. So this is why you got to be very prayerful when you put people around you, because they gotta have the ability, the competence to do it. And then they gotta have the character, hear me, ooh-wee, to maintain what their gifts produce. Listen, your competence will open doors that it will require good character to sustain. In other words, you can walk through great doors with your ability, but if you don't have good character, those doors will be closed. So you have to make sure you're working on character when you walk through the door and you're trusted inside of presumptive contracts with sensitive situations and information, that you don't become a betrayer because your ability doesn't give you the right to betray the people you're connected to. And I know a lot of gifted people think their gift gives them the ability to be betrayers because they feel, well, if I do a tell-all and I say this and I say that, I can just take my gift to the next person and they're gonna use me for my gift. Well yeah, they will, but you'll never be fulfilled because if you betray purpose, oh my God, you're gonna be bouncing around as an adventurist most of your life. So I believe again, competence and character must have a marriage that creates a significant balance in your life, your ministry, your business, your marriage. Your ability is everything, but your character is everything as well. Amen. Listen, here's a reality. We can't build the kingdom and advance the purposes of God doing things with antiquated thinking and patterns. In other words, we can't build today's ministry or business or kingdom-driven principle or kingdom-driven entity on patterns that are antiquated. We have to have new, fresh minds around us to be able to be effective and reach people we will never reach with antiquated ways of thinking. And part of what that brings is the opportunity, hear me, oh my God, and the potential to be betrayed because You have to step out of your comfort zone and many a times connect with people who are not necessarily in the stream you're in, who are not necessarily on the level you are spiritually. Watch this. But they have a level of competence that can help you advance God's agenda in your life. So you got to be very discerning of who these people are. But you can't be so afraid and fearful and in a time warp, man. I know people in ministry, man, it's absolutely ridiculous. They're in a time warp and it's terrible. I mean, they're in time warp as far as how they do ministry, how they do broadcast, how they— how their building looks. Everything is just in the past and The danger in that is you will eventually erode and self-implode. Listen, because you cannot— and the first person I heard say this, everybody has picked this up, but I'm gonna give them the originator of it credit, uh, Warren Buffett— you can't be Blockbuster in a Netflix Netflix world. Blockbuster is dead because it refused to evolve. Antiquated patterns, antiquated thinking killed them. A fear of opening up to new ideas because they would have had to open up to new partners, new mindsets. And they thought the way they were doing business would still work because they had no idea what was evolving in the tech world, what was evolving in the streaming world. They had no idea what was going on. Oh my God. See, you can be sincere, mean good, and ineffective. You can know all the scripture, be very sincere, be very serene and religious, but ineffective. And what God needs is effective soldiers, and we cannot be effective. Where you going with this, Mike? I thought you were talking about betrayal, being kicked with clean feet. I am. The reality is You cannot be effective if you fear being betrayed because you got to jump out there and open yourself up to something that you may not know. And with that may come betrayal. But rest assured, just like Jesus, if you are betrayed and as long as you're moving in God's agenda and not your own, It's a lot of selfish agendas out there today. But as long as you're moving in God's agenda and not your own, hear me, you can survive. You can make it. Hallelujah. Glory to God. You can be effective and God will ride you through the betrayal. I'm a witness. He'll do it even when the betrayal is self-inflicted. Or if it's internally inflicted, he will take you through with shining colors every single time. I gotta go, y'all. So what are you saying, Michael? I'm saying to you that's listening, especially leaders, choose your team effectively. And that means you got to pray about it. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Be effective in prayer first. I always say it, uh, anywhere I've been a failure, I was a prayer failure first. Anywhere I've been successful, I was a prayer success first. So make sure you pray through about the people you put around you, your team. And at the end of the day, if you do that, you could be— you watch this— you can anchor your team and cultivate them to create the culture that is necessary. Watch this, that will circumvent betrayal and protect the organization from betrayal. Because at the end of the day, you have selected properly. And this way, the only way betrayal happens is it's the will of God. But you got to anchor your team in your culture. So, and the way you do that, you got to cultivate that in prayer. I'll say it again, in prayer. You cannot do this if you don't spend time with the Lord. You cannot do this if you don't have a real relationship with God. Oh boy, I got to get out here, y'all. Whoo! See, and then I'm gonna move to the next point because I'm right here with this team. Because Jesus said, I know who I've chosen. He picked his team. I know I chose it. I chose my team. I chose this team. Jesus, I know. So you gotta know your team. Because everything rides on the team. And the reality is you need people around you who can have the culture of what God is causing you to build, and that will go in your name. Oh boy, that when you're not there, they're there representing you as an ambassador, and they're okay with that. Oh, they're not trying to promote their own agendas on your opportunities. Oh, but you have a whole lot of people who have their own agendas and spend opportunities that you make for them to promote themselves when they should be there in your name. Oh boy. And see, because everybody will have their time. What you do for another, when it's your time, God will send people who do it for you. One of the reasons many of you cannot build effective and successful teams is because you never were loyal to serving anyone else in their name. You always had an agenda. You always was trying to open the door. I had people around me that was traveling with me all over the country. Then bam, they betrayed me. I look up, they're preaching for the same people they were traveling with me that I was preaching for because they were just riding my coattail for opportunity, which I don't care. I want your gift to expand. At the end of the day, It didn't hurt me in one way or the other. But the reality is, if your motive— if you're on the team just to get what you can get, you need to recheck yourself. And leaders, that's why you got to make sure you have people around you that don't mind going in your name. You got to learn how to be, whoo, a master at the second position. Position, or the third position if that's where you find yourself in this season. One— my son Apostle Brandon Cornelius, one of the greatest masters of being in the second position. And this is why he's so blessed today. This is why the anointing flows out of his life so amazingly and sweatlessly, and God uses him the way the way he does because Apostle served. He served me. I trusted him. And listen, he traveled all over the world with me. And at the end of the day, that man has never betrayed me or violated my trust, which is why he has people around him now that he could trust. You reap what you sow. Let me move off that. Let me move all that. So You cannot have betrayal. Listen to this, I'm moving. If you don't have trust, trust always precedes betrayal. What are you saying, Michael? What are you saying? You're— again, I'm gonna say it one more time. I said at the beginning, your enemy is never external. Your enemy, your betrayer, the traitor is always internal. You got to be close to betray. Oh my God. You got to be someone who has been trusted to betray. If I gave you a key or gave you the combination to the locker, gave you access to the bank account, you won't be— you can't betray me if I don't give you access. My God, let me tell you something. Y'all worry about these people out here that throwing rocks at you that ain't in your camp. Let me tell you something, it ain't the people that throw the rocks that's gonna kill you, it's the one that's close to you that's gonna kill you. They were throwing rocks at Jesus, that didn't kill him. What killed him was the kiss on the cheek. That's what killed him. Yeah, I know the cross, but the kids got it started. The ones throwing rocks won't kill you. It's the internal close one that'll kill you. And that's why you got to be careful, because otherwise you'll be kicked with clean feet. But I'm telling you, betrayal leaves clues, so you got to discern and see what's happening around you. Can I tell you something? The recipe for betrayal— and I just said it 100 different ways already— is access and trust. I'll say it again: the recipe for betrayal is access and trust. A husband betrays his wife because he has access to her and she trusts him, period. A wife betrays her husband because she has access to him and he trusts her. That's what makes it betrayal. Glory to God. Uh, your armor bearer will betray you because you gave them access and trust. Friends that you thought were friends will betray you because you gave them access and trust. That's the only way betrayal can occur. Oh my God, listen, when trust is broken— this is a— this is good to take with you. Now I'm gonna give you some clues, and I'm closing this. Access is denied. So When someone breaks the trust, you should deny them access. When they show you they cannot be trusted because you let them in, access should be denied. Listen, almost every church split I ever heard of came from trusting someone with influence and power. I'm not going to go there. I ain't got time. I got a long story. But at the end of the day, when you trust someone, whether it be an administrator, a spiritual covering with influence and power, with your issue, with your weakness, and they betray you It causes a split. And the reality is, when they break that trust, you got to immediately cut off the access because they'll continue to destroy you. And when you see they're doing it, don't keep trying to figure it out and giving them grace. No, cut it off. They've proven who they are and let it run its course. The Bible says this, watch this. Lay no hands on no man suddenly. I'll say it again. The Bible says lay hands on no man suddenly. Listen to me. Hear me real good. You gotta be, you gotta be it first. So you wait for them to prove that they're it, then lay hands on them. Then trust me, you got to be it first. Stop putting people around you that don't have the fruit of what you're trying to get them to be. Let them prove that they're it. Let them prove they're loyal. Let them prove they're worthy of access. Then you lay hands on them. Some of y'all too in a hurry to have an armor bearer. I ain't never seen that like in my life. God, I've been churches with 35 members and the pastor got 28 armor bearers. That's ridiculous. Why you need 28 people around you? Set up for betrayal. You cannot put people where they do not belong. Only allow people to fit where they fit. Oh my God. So betrayal leaves clues. What are you saying, Michael? What was the first clue? First clue, and I'm closing, is Judas is never happy about your success. Oh, oh my God. Always complaining about your success. Why are you on TV? Why you got those billboards? Why are you trying to do this? Why are you making that investment? Why are you doing that? Why you got $500,000 in Bitcoin? Always complaining about your growth. Why you buy that shoe? Why you wear that suit? Oh my God. But Judas is never happy about your increase. Never happy about your growth. That's a clue. The moment people start expressing their opinion about your success in a negative way, you better believe that Judas is lurking. That spirit is coming alive. Now listen, I'm not talking about those of you who need rebuked and the success you're building, you built these steps and these ladders yourself, had nothing to do with God. It's not the promotion that came from the north. Your promotion came from the east, the west, and the south, 'cause you built it. But the Bible said promotion come not from the east, the west, nor the south, but promotion comes from God. Promotion don't come from you. So some of you need to be rebuked. And so that's not Judas, that's just your leader telling you, you need to slow down and sit down somewhere. But I'm talking about bona fide success that's coming from God. And somebody's always trying to smash you. That's Judas. I won't call no names, but I will say this because, you know, it's just my testimony. I remember I got my doctorate degree. I have two. I have one, a Doctor of Divinity, that was actually given to me as an honorable doctorate. Okay? It was conferred upon me for my life's work. Then I have another one that is earned. When I got the first one, which was conferred upon me, I took it to someone I love dearly and respect and wanted them to celebrate with me. And I just believed that they were going to celebrate and rejoice when I took the degree and said, hey, look what I received. Look, look how I was honored. They got it, looked at it, put it in hand, said, oh, there ain't nothing. I could have been had one of them. And just set it to the side and kept doing what they was doing. I was like, wow. And you know what I said then? I said, I'm gonna show you. I said, I'm gonna get one I know you'll never get. And I went and earned one after that. How about that? How about that? And, and they'll never do that in their life. Glory to God. So at the end of the day, listen, okay, that, that may be one of the nicest way to say that. But I need you to understand something, guys. You can't allow people to break your spirit because they don't rejoice with you. It just shows they're immature in Christ. The Bible said rejoice with them who rejoice. So when you see someone successful doing well, instead of you losing it, rejoice with them, because it's showing your immaturity when you do. And I've just learned, I don't care. I really don't care what you think about my success. I live for the audience. One for one, I've learned if you live by the applause, if you work for the applause of men and live by the applause of men, when they stop clapping you will die. You will stop working. If you need an applause to work, if you need an applause to be successful, you will never be successful. Because the moment they stop clapping and crucify you, you'll stop working and you'll kill over and die. Oh, Lord have mercy. Clue number 2. Let me keep moving. Huh. Judas, hear me, will always keep access to you and your enemy. Oh boy, this is the clue. Now you got them in your inner circle, and here we go. Oh my God, you got them close, you trust them with access. You trust them to be in your inner circle, but instead of them being loyal to you— and they know who your enemies are because the enemies are strategically discussed in the inner circle. So what they do, they have access to you and your enemy. The only reason Judas was able to— oh my God. To betray Jesus for these 30 tokens of silver, which was about $52.38. He sold Jesus out for $52.38. Let that marinate. That wasn't enough money to change nothing. Even if it was, it wasn't worth betraying the trust. But he had access to the Jewish camp and Jesus. And that's what your enemies want. They want somebody in your camp that could— oh my God, this new exposé about Hillsong. I'm praying for Brian Houston and Hillsong because you got people breaking camp, leaving And this man has literally sown a lot into helping a lot of preachers become who they are in that stream that they're in. Now, watch this. Something happened. Now, this thing is on Discovery, this exposé about Hillsong Ministries. Well, that is a result of somebody being in the inner circle and also attached to the enemy. That's betrayal. I don't care whether you believe it's right or not. That's betrayal. Now my prayer is, is that Hillsong will repent whatever they need to do, whatever's true they repent of, and go on and be greater than they were. But the reality is, it's betrayal because your Judas is going to keep at— oh, I love you, I love you, I love you— and then at the same time in the back door talking to your enemy, trying to figure out a way way to bring you down. How many of you have dealt with that before? Oh, I have, I have. Oh my God, I had somebody close, several people, several times, business and ministry. Oh my God, but they were close to my enemy too, and every move I made, they were communicating it to my enemy. And the whole time planning my demise, trying to see how they could take my place. And guess what? It never happened. And I just bounced back greater, more powerful, more anointed. Ooh. Clue number 3, let me move. Can I tell you something? This is the last point and I'm closing. Intimacy will Ooh, does not guarantee loyalty. Hear me. Jesus was at the table and he sat between— oh my God, no, I'm sorry. Jesus at the table and Judas sat between. Judas sat between Jesus and John. Wait a minute, Michael. You got to be kidding. Jesus in there eating the bread with his traitor, his betrayer. He's intimate in the middle of Jesus and John eating. What a place he's in. Oh my God, John the Beloved and Jesus the Savior. He's sitting right there at the table next to them. Imagine the conversations he's in the middle of. But I want to tell you something. Intimacy does not guarantee loyalty. Let me tell you something, leaders. You better be careful sleeping around with multiple women. Got all these mistresses and you got a wife. Help, listen to me. Intimacy don't guarantee loyalty. Matter of fact, I'm gonna go out on a limb, and, and when my book comes out, you'll see my book Chronicles of a Cheater. I've been— it's in its fourth edit, and hopefully we get it released this year. We got a lot of distribution set up on it. It's going to be a bestseller, bestseller the day it is released, uh, and because a book is a business. That's a whole nother teaching for another day. It made no sense for you to release release a book, you got tons of books in your closet and you ain't sold none of them. You want to get the message out. But we talk about how intimacy never guarantees loyalty. And as a matter of fact, your cheating, your adultery, it's never a secret. That person is itching to tell some body. And you better believe, especially preacher, CEO, you better believe because of the authority and position you hold, they're talking to somebody. So it would behoove you to keep your tallywhacker in your pants, sir or ma'am. Keep your skirt down if you're sleeping with with the brothers because loyalty doesn't guarantee intimacy. Listen, on this Passion Thursday— and I'm finished— I want to challenge you to keep your eyes open because betrayal Leaves clues. Remember, Judas is never happy about your success. He's never happy about you succeeding, about you growing. Two, Judas will always have access to you and your enemy. And three, intimacy does not guarantee loyalty. I need you to be discerning on who you put around you. Listen, You can circumvent betrayal with discernment, except it is divinely orchestrated by God. And if it is by him, then it's supposed to happen. But you need to do everything in your power to make sure you control the culture around you and you have people around you that you can trust. Again, once the trust is broken, access should be denied. Let's pray. Father, in Jesus' name, we thank you for this teaching tonight and every person that has listened. I pray, God, that it will land on the good ground of their heart, sharpen their discernment, show them things they haven't seen before. And I thank you, Lord, that you'll show them the Judas that are in their camp and around them. Give them the clues, God. Hallelujah. Let them see— hallelujah— the ones that are not happy about success. Let them see the ones that have access to them and the enemy. Let them see that intimacy does not guarantee loyalty. And I praise you for that now. In Jesus' name, amen, and thank God. Oh boy, listen, thank you so much for listening today. I pray this message was a blessing for you. I want to take this opportunity to invite you to give. Listen, it's more blessed to give than it is to receive. We're heading into Resurrection Sunday. And listen, it is our goal to give away 2,000 pounds of food on Sunday at Rhoda Church. We're in a partnership with the Atlanta Food Bank, and we have committed to give away 2,000 pounds of food on Sunday to those that are in need in the Atlanta area. And I need your help to get that done. So as you give tonight, I pray that you will plant a seed and sow a seed that is so powerful that it'll help knock a dent in our goal for this coming Sunday. I promise you, we are excited about this and we're gonna do it. I believe God has already done it. And those of you that are sowing, listen, I'm telling you now, God has a promise to give you your seed back a thousand times more than it is. Well, my time is gone, y'all. The ways to give are on the screen. Please admonish them and give to the Lord. Listen, I want to invite you to worship with us at Rhoda Church every Sunday at 4 o'clock PM at 2244 Panola Road in Lithonia, Georgia, I promise you, you will experience God and not man. It is our goal to create encounters, period. So if you need healing, if you need deliverance, if you need a word from God, you need a breakthrough financially, whatever you need, God's got it. And it is our goal, and we believe it ought to be the church's aim, to produce God in a way in the worship experience that no one leaves the way they came in. So listen, worship with us this Sunday. I promise you, you'll be blessed. The church address and the ways to reach us is on the screen. I love you guys with the love of the Lord, and ain't nothing you can do about it. Listen, remember, share the word with a friend, and always keep this in mind: your decisions will set you up for domenica. Opinion. God bless you. This is Adam. Adam is a very frustrated man. He's frustrated because for the past 18 months he sat on his couch in his living room, isolated from the world. He has dined here, entertained here, and even worshiped here alone. This has made him very sad because he feels restricted. It's now 11 AM on Sunday morning, and Adam realizes he's been in his own way. So he jumps up off the couch and runs out of his house like a madman to the one place he knows can help him— the church. Here he will find community. Here he will get a word from the Lord that will empower him to dream again. And most of all, here he will discover the Freedom to Fly. I invite you to come fly with us this Sunday at Radha Church.