Under Doesn’t Mean Over // Planted Not Buried (Part 1)

I’m home and I’m ready to preach I’ve

been stopped up for six weeks so all I’m

gonna tell you is get ready because I

think this may be one of the best series

we ever do because of the revelation God

has given me on this topic right here if

you’re taking notes on once you get out

your your notepads and your smartphone

your dumb phone whatever you have in

we’re gonna start I want to say hi to

transformation nation we have literally

thousands of people watching with us

right now can we give it up for

everybody watching online we love you

you’re a part of what we’re doing here

today we are starting a brand new series

called planted not buried and I’m a hike

because there have been so many people

who have been in a season where they

don’t know which one of these they are

the subtitle of this series is what to

do when you’re under and I started to

think about it is that as I polled

people and I asked where people are in

their life and in their relationships

what’s going on in their business and

what’s going on in their hearts and

what’s going on a lot of people I

started to talk to they were under they

were under pressure they were

undervalued they literally had a sense

of being under qualified people are

under attack they’re underpaid how many

people are underpaid in the place right

now somebody say is me Oh Lord some of

them are under fire under acquit

underestimated some people are under

funded and even there are some that feel

like they’re just underground like

nobody even knows what God’s place on

the inside of me in that I could be more

than do more and I just want to

encourage people’s faith that there is a

place that you can live in God that no

matter what you are under that your

faith will be able to take you to

place that you can rise sustained and

watch this make it through see everybody

wants God to magically deliver them from

something but what if God’s plan was for

you to make it through it see see all of

us would you God save me now he said I’m

gonna sustain you now like I’m I’m gonna

take you through it and most of us want

to give up at that point

because that’s not the easy way but God

wants you to know that growth and

comfort can never go together those two

things are arch enemies and will never

be able to produce at the same time and

many of you want to be comfortable watch

all your Netflix shows still hook up on

the side do all of these other things

and still see everything God has for you

and growth and comfort do not mix and so

what I want everybody to understand is

that if you’re under in any area of your

life this series is for you if you’re

under depression if you’re under attack

if you’re under what people are saying

about you even family members God is

coming to revive and give your faith in

IV and I’m telling you I don’t know how

long this series is gonna be I must

confess because as God keeps revealing

to me he’s trying to get something to

you so you do not quit prematurely so

that you don’t give up on the marriage

and you don’t throw in the towel and you

don’t go back home from college just

because it’s in a hard season God said

and I want you to write this down cuz

this is point number one under does not

mean over see a lot of people think if

you’re under pressure it’s over we

should give up if we’re under attack if

we’re under the the the strain or for

under pay there’s no way the vision can

happen what are you talking about this

is God we’re talking about and you’re

God’s child under does not mean over

somebody say that under does not mean

you didn’t even say with your chest you

said it just under

I want somebody’s faith to be awakened

today because you’ve come in here numb

to life because you thought this was

your lot in life but I came to revive

your faith today I did somebody with to

say it with everything and you say

‘under does not mean over here we go go

to Psalms chapter one verse three by the

end of this service somebody’s gonna get

your life back so somebody’s vision is

going to be restored your marriage that

is shaky right now you know we made it

this far what doesn’t kill us makes us

stronger baby come on let’s do it I’m

just saying because it’s all about

perspective and where you’re at and

where you see yourself and so I want to

read you a scripture that for many of us

is like one of those scriptures like if

you could pick a scripture to happen to

you you will want Psalms chapter one

verse three to happen to you

like this is like one of those that’s

like yes sign me up I want to do this

and I want us to read this but I want us

to take it a little deeper than what we

probably would just in reading for a

devotional I want us to study it and see

what the Word of God has to say look

what it says in Psalms chapter one verse

3 it says they are like trees everybody

shot at me planted but like like like

this is what God wants for every

believer for your relationship with him

– after maturity look like a tree that

has been planted no now tell me the name

of a big tree what’s a big tree an oak

tree we already know y’all done studied

huh and uh an oak tree it’s not a small

thing

if you’ve ever come in contact with an

oak tree these things can be hundreds of

feet high you literally can walk around

the the bark of the tree these things

provide shade they can provide shelter

they can provide nourish there’s so many

things a tree can do and out of

everything

David the who’s right

this to compare our relationship with

God with he compares it to a tree that

is planted by rivers of living water now

I just want you to get this image of you

being a tree plane oh I know you weak

right now I know that you don’t really

have you don’t have a good self-esteem

in your visual image and you’ve been cut

down and chopped on and and all these

other things but just for a second I

want you to see vision right I want you

to see your best self I want you to see

yourself with an AB one that’s all I’m

believing God for I just want in my

lifetime I want one AB I just I can just

sit right there like I want you I want

you I want you to see yourself free from

depression I want you to see yourself

not worrying about finances because God

is just supplier I want you to see

yourself literally being blessed to be a

blessing I want you to see your self

free from everybody who hurts you that’s

the tree that’s you

somebody say that’s me like like like he

wants us to be a tree put it back up

there planted everybody say planted

along the riverbanks the reason why he

puts the metaphor of it being a tree

planted by riverbanks is because then

you don’t have to depend on rain

because it’s planted so close to water

no matter if it rains or not this is why

when you’re planted close to God when

you’re when you because out of our

bellies should show some flow straight

y’all I’m stuck out of your belly it was

so good I just did like like out of your

belly will flow rivers of living what

that’s the living water of God when

we’re close we don’t have to depend on

what’s happening in the atmosphere we

can we don’t have to depend on what’s

happening in government we don’t have to

depend on what’s happening on our job we

can take from the living this is what

God wants for your life

he wants you to be a tree planted by the

rivers of living water check this part

out bearing fruit in each season do you

know why this is significant because no

tree bears fruit in every season but God

is saying he wants your relationship

with him to be able to bear fruit no

matter what season it is summer fruit

winter fruit spring fruit fall fruit lay

me off my job

fruit leave me fruit I lost a loved one

fruit it doesn’t matter what you throw

at me

I’m still gonna bear fruit and see so

many of us are just so satisfied with

the one time we had fruit the one time

God came through we still praise him for

the one miracle that happened when we

seventeen and God said did you not know

that I wanted you to be so connected

with me that your relationship look like

a tree planted by me that bear fruit no

matter what happens

somebody say fruit

like late so so let’s go back your

relationship with God should be like a

tree everybody said planted along the

riverbanks bearing fruits everybody say

fruit in each season check this out

their leaves never wither now this is

crazy because the natural cycle of trees

we’re about to hit the fall right now

and every tree in Tulsa all the leaves

are gonna start whittling up and turning

a different color and eventually they’re

gonna fall off the reason that that

happens as a study is because there’s a

season that the tree has to go into for

stalling its nutrients to be able to

survive the winter so it stops supplying

nutrients to the things that are on the

outside God’s saying because you’re

planted near me you will be able to get

everything you need so you don’t have to

save anything you don’t have to hold

nothing back oh come on some of y’all

been holding stuff back from God trying

to wait on reserve

he said cuz you planted me I don’t want

other ideas your most creative idea

hasn’t come to you yet the business idea

the thought the thing that I’m gonna do

it you ain’t even seen it yet cuz you’re

planted next to me and it says you will

keep leaves in every season so it

doesn’t matter if everybody around you

is withering up and dying when you’re

connected to the the source you will

produce look and actually be healthy in

every season because you know everybody

try to look healthy but but but God is

saying this is what your relationship

should look like one more and this is

the best one they are like trees

everybody say planted along the

riverbanks bearing fruit to everybody

said true in each season and their

leaves everybody say never wither this

is you this is you this is the image

that God sees of you this is the image

that you should see of yourself this is

the image you should see of your

relationship and your kids this is you

I’m always bearing fruit I’m always

green I’m always giving nourishment to

somebody else I’m always say

I’m always looking good I’m always and

then it says and this type of person

they prosper in all they do do you all

know how crazy that is that everything

that you even think about doing works

like God wants to co-sign all of your

ideas that line up with his will just

just imagine how that feels

God I wanna I wanna I want to touch this

school and buy backpacks for the whole

school well you’re a single mother uh

you’re planted next to me I’m the

supplier of all your needs I’ll send

somebody in to pay for the whole like

like this is the thing that you got to

understand everything you can do with

God can prosper the problem is most of

us aren’t planted in a place that we can

grow roots

we’re potted plants and we put ourselves

and confined small spaces and we move

from place to place trying to look good

and be seen instead of getting in a

place where God can keep us there long

enough for us to get the roots to be

able to go high and so we use that this

is what potted plants look like it’s

well my family only did this much or I

only went to this college or I was

abused and and and and my start won’t be

I’m old and and I’m black and I’m and

the man is against me all y’all are

potted plants you’ve let a limitation

define how high that you could go but

today through this series I want you to

understand that God is here to break all

of your limits and anybody that will

allow him he will get you to the place

where you can be planted and a spacious

place where you can become everything

that God has called you to be I want to

show you a picture because everybody

wants this to happen everything I do

works

I’m planted I’m bearing fruit I’m always

green that’s what I want God but I

realized something as I was studying

this like and it hit me

trees are not planted seeds are God’s

never planted a tree

he’s always planted a seed so what

you’re discounting because it’s so small

God is counting on to become tall oh

yeah yeah my little gift my little

family my my little and God says you

don’t see what I see I gave it to you in

that form so that they couldn’t destroy

it before you knew how to work it but

I’m telling you that that little will

become much if you put it in a place

where it can be everybody shout at me

planted but will you stay in the same

place long enough to let God do the work

I know you trying to get out of that job

but what if that was the ground that God

was trying to make you in ooo I’m coming

for you today cuz I know some of y’all

been praying all week Lord just if you

would burn the place down it’s okay with

me

no I could just get the insurance change

disability Oh I’m hurrying now like like

like you and what if God said I put you

there I allowed that because that was

the environment that your seed would

become a tree ah I know I know because

all of us specially in our Instagram

fast microwave generation we want our

seed to just hit that miracle girl

overnight and we want it to be a forest

but God said it’s seed time harvest

those are three different things it’s

seed and then time and then put that

picture on the screen because I want

everybody to see what you look like

right there that’s you that’s what God

has planted in you a seed and I want you

to look at how much God does under the

surface before he does anything that

people can see I mean nature is speaking

to us right now

it literally at the moment the seed

wants to go up what does God say it has

to do don’t get humility oh I know you

want to be the CEO right now I know but

God says I can’t take you up if you

don’t have any roots to hold what we’re

gonna build the only thing that can take

a tree out and its own volition is it

not having roots that were dug deep

enough to withstand what God was trying

to build and some of us have been so

frustrated with the season we’ve been

under and we’ve been looking at it as

God punishing us or this is negative but

what you don’t understand is this is the

place where you’re developing roots can

I be practical with you what a roots

Pastor Mike character integrity humility

Jam crazy Jay a natural job she’s there

to teach you humility because the old

you would have cussed out every day at

8:45 Jan come here let me catch you out

later that would have been the old shoe

but something that God is doing in you

at that same job at that same place why

you’re still under that wrong leadership

that leader who discriminates against

you that leader who you know is doing

the wrong thing God has you there not

because he’s punishing you because he’s

building your ropes and some of y’all

have had the wrong perspective you

thought that what was happening was to

take you out and God says what’s

happening I’m making you right now

and I can’t allow everybody to see it

because if they saw it they try to put

you pull you up and put you in a pot

they would try to take what you have and

put it on display until you were no

longer valuable to them but God said

what I’m building in you it’s gonna be

something that goes deep and that when

it is time it’s gonna go high put that

picture back on I’m about to preach the

fool out this picture look at this look

at this look at the fourth picture do

you see how much God has been doing but

how little it looks on the surface

most of us would overlook that oh oh

yeah look at you your little business

huh

look at that you’re selling it all what

ebay oh that’s so cute what they don’t

understand is that’s the seed with deep

roots that is gonna be a fortune 500

company that they’ll work for one day

see but but God’s not gonna allow them

to see that do you understand

oh you’re just saying holy you’re saving

yourself till you get married okay

you ain’t even that cute and God said no

no they don’t understand that what what

he has for you requires purity like

there’s somebody on the other side of

this that is doing the same thing and

equal has to meet equal cuz we’re gonna

behold going into this marriage anyway

and so he said you keep doing it and all

people can see is discount what looks a

little but they don’t know what’s

happening under and I came to encourage

somebody and change your perspective and

sweat out of this suit because I need

somebody to understand that God does not

have you in that place to take you out

he has you in that place to make you and

this is the hard thing about this is

because when you’re planted it’s dark

when you’re planted if you’re a seed

that gets planted in the ground it’s

lonely

but matter of fact if you want to be

completely transparent about it it’s a

season that’s hard like like why and

many times you just ask them got why

like why isn’t this working I thought I

obeyed you I thought I did what’s

happening why why why why like why is

this Keith why does this same situation

keep happening why do I go to the altar

and repent and want a better

relationship in the same knucklehead

keeps coming into my life with a

different name and I keep falling for it

and I don’t want to why is this marriage

not working and we’ve been to every

counselor I can think of why can’t I

kick this addiction like like I don’t

know about you but these are these are

the things that happened in me like I’m

not I’m not talking about oh no no no I

pray it happens forget you like like

like like for me there are things that

is so why is this so dark I’m going to

church every Sunday I’m paying my time

steal bro Oh y’all want to be fake this

morning like I gave on the first faster

my life’s got going on a second where is

God has anybody ever just sit and in any

single oh come on y’all we’re humble

open and transparent in this church has

anybody ever been in a place and you

said where is God come on where’s God

thank you the reason why this is so

beautiful

is point number three the place of death

and the place of destiny look the same

for a season let me explain it to you if

I take a seed and I dig up the dirt and

I put it in the ground and I cover it it

is the exact same process to take a dead

body dig up the dirt put it in ground

and cover it and so what ends up

happening is if depending on our

perspective

and what we’re filled with if we’re if

we’re filled with faith and and we know

that God has a plan for our life and all

things are working together for

depending on our perspective the enemy

can convince you that the place where

God is curating your destiny is the

place that you should curl up and die oh

yeah yeah no I know like like that’s why

you’ve been about to pull the plug on

the very thing that he said for you to

do that’s why you won’t stay plugged

into church that’s why you keep going

from relationship and relationship and

marriage to marry it’s because the same

place right when you get to the point to

start getting some roots the enemy

convinces you that that place means God

is forsaken you that really means that’s

the place where God is making you and if

you don’t understand it you will uproot

yourself from a place that God was using

to make you who he created you to be

Mike you better preach I will no no look

it’s dark in both places it’s hard in

both places it’s isolated in both places

and what you have to get the faith to

believe though I’m under it’s not over

like like I know that the common person

will look at my business and say it is

over that is this is a memorial service

for any business plans that this person

would ever have and God says what did I

tell you when you were writing in that

journal what did I say to you he said no

it’s gonna look the same for a season

but I’m the God who started something in

you and I’m the God who’s gonna finish

it in you if you do not get up can

somebody give God some praise in this

place oh yeah because some of us I know

it’s taking a second because everything

that’s happened to you you’ve taken as a

sign that you need to stop and maybe

it’s a sign that God’s trying to start

something you’re under you’re under the

pressure you’re under paid yes

your undervalue yep

yeah yeah yeah some of us are under

depression under wrong thoughts under

perversion you’re under a whole bunch of

stuff God says this is why I do my best

work if I can find somebody to have

faith when it looks dark if I could find

somebody to have faith when it looks bad

and this is the thing that Philippians

1:6 says because I know some of you are

right here right now

and you are under addiction you’re under

hurt I mean I was praying for somebody

so free feverishly this week because I

know how bad they’re hurt and they can’t

even see that God’s trying to use them

right now

because every area is sensitive you know

when you get bruised in one area then it

just like is you touch their finger like

ah that hurts like it’s and that’s how

many of you right now are that’s why you

can’t get in any relationships with

anybody just friends business partners

it’s cuz something hurts you so bad that

when somebody just tries to reach out

and touch your hand its callous

everywhere and God is saying will you

allow me to be the one to take you into

a place and heal you and give you mend

the broken pieces and give you roots

that will allow you to withstand because

God has something so big for you that

takes you having to have deep roots and

maybe maybe the problem is now on

purpose maybe the hurt has an assignment

maybe them leaving you has left you in

the best place to become who God’s

created you to be what you have to get

in your mind right now is it’s not over

I’m just under I want you to say that

with me somebody say it’s not over I’m

just under see the beautiful thing about

being under is that the work that God

does only he can get the glory for many

of us want our are our rise to be on

insta stories we want what God does in

our life to be something that’s glorious

and God says I want all the credit for

this so I’m gonna put you in a season

that looks like you should curl up and

die but once you know that I’m for you

and I’m with you

look what Philippians 1:6 says and I am

certain that the God who began a good

work like with that little seed with

that thing that everybody’s calling

insignificant with that little

relationship with that little service

with that little he said he who started

a good work within who like like this is

where people don’t get it

God’s not trying to do something to

bring his name glory outside of you like

he wants to do the work everybody say in

me that’s why you have to stay planted

because every time you uproot you start

the process over again and that’s why

you’re going from church to church to

church to church that Pastor don’t

understand me that pastor don’t better

than a pass for them but and there’s a

problem at every church that you go to

baby you are the common denominator

you’re the problem but God said could

you stay planted somewhere long enough

to build roots so that I can do what I

want to do in you yeah you’ll be

offended yeah but you’re gonna that’s

gonna happen everywhere yeah you’re not

gonna like something that’s gonna happen

everywhere yeah intimacy this is the

thing where God’s trying to teach you

faithfulness and he’s trying to get

these things remember roots in you so

that he can build what he wants to do

building you he rarely ever builds what

he needs you to have in the same

atmosphere that’s your in that’s why

when God’s trying to teach you

faithfulness he’ll send you to the

children’s ministry

work with these kids work work teach

them love on them be there for them give

them on and you like God I’ve been

working in this area for seven years and

he said I’m trying to teach you

faithfulness because why you’re single

in this place right now and you’re so

ready to have a husband after those

first few weeks you’re gonna realize

that you don’t like him that much and

you gonna have to be faithful to him

even when it’s bad for better or for

worse and God said I was trying to teach

you faithfulness for your marriage when

you were faithfulness and serving but

you’ll never learn and get the roots if

you won’t stay everybody shot at me

planted so when I started looking at

this I said okay God if if this is what

you really want to do in all of us then

I’m gonna need some help like many of

you are gonna need help

cuz you’re under right now you’re under

pressure you’re under developed some of

us are under qualified that’s how the

enemy makes us feel my god God will

never do anything with you imagine how

Sara felt who God gave a promise to 25

years earlier than he fulfilled it she

was under for 25 years

not a sign of anything what she did is

what most of us would do is we unpack

ourselves we come undone planted and we

try to do something in our own power you

know what she did she said God I think

you just missed it I believed you back

in the day but you missed it so i’ma

help you out cuz you forgot what you

were doing this is a dusty old one that

there’s no milk here just air you hear

what I’m saying I can’t do this and

imagine every year she’s celebrating 70

years old happy birthday Sarah it

probably was a reminder of all the time

that God didn’t do what he said he was

gonna do 75 80 85 happy birthday just

stop

because I don’t want to be reminded that

I’m still under like like like I can’t

even praise with other people when God

does good things because I I’m just been

under so long I’ve become dead hurt but

she tried she said God I may help you

and she goes and get her servant Hagar

and she says every Abraham come here

sleep with Hagar he’s like don’t even

play do not even do that I hate girl you

know I ain’t gonna do that she said oh

we gonna get this baby this son is

coming we’re gonna force the promise of

God but we’re going to make an

illegitimate seed and Abraham was like

okay cool if you say so you know the

sounds just gonna follow my wife I’m

some idiot and they they create a baby

that’s illegitimate and probably

somewhere around the time where they was

in baby mama drama

cuz they were having a Maury Povich

episode every day you could read the

Bible it’s in there and like they she

probably prayed this for your God

I’m sorry for trying to do it my way god

I’m gonna get planted back in what

you’ve called me to be and she had to

wait but isn’t it like God to allow us

to be under long enough for him to get

the glory and at the age of nine this

woman gets pregnant now do you know how

hard it would look to somebody for

somebody who’s been under so long that

everybody’s counted them out for God to

do now it becomes a miracle if he did it

now it would be normal but if the odds

are stuck if you’re under some stuff and

he still does it when time is out when

nobody believes it can happen when it

been over God says that’s who I am I am

the god of the impossible what the enemy

has convinced you is your death it’s

just a place that I’m creating and

cultivating your destiny you will have

that business you will have that

marriage your family will be say I need

somebody to rejoice with me you will

stand and declare God’s mighty accident

but you know what I know you’ve already

given up

you’ve already been convinced that

you’re buried I mean that’s great for

other people pass the mic but it’s not

gonna happen for me today I want you to

realize something very significant that

the only way that you can really tell if

something is pent planted or buried it’s

not by something external because I

could plant a coin right now but because

there’s nothing inside of a coin it

would just stay buried but if I plant a

seed today because of what is inside of

it or maybe I should say what or who is

inside of it because if you’re the seed

who is inside of you it doesn’t matter

how much dirt gets thrown on me it does

not matter how on significant I may look

as long as the greater one lives on the

inside of me you can bury me six feet

under and I am NOT buried I am planted I

am gonna come up I’m gonna be strong I

think John says it like this greater is

He that is in me than anything that is

in the world that’s why you have to make

sure that you’re feeding on the Word of

God that God is inside of you that faith

is inside of you cuz pressure can be all

on you and you can be under but if the

greater one is in you

I don’t care if they have the Memorial

one day you’ll be able to stand tall as

this tree and say y’all thought I was

dead you missed it

I was planted not buried

I’m telling somebody today get your hope

back get your faith back I know it looks

the same as something that’s dead but

you have to choose to die you you’re in

this I know it’s dark anon but you’ll

choose to die and God said that’s the

same place I was about to create your

miracle that marriage don’t get out of

it

work on it cuz I’m gonna make that a

bigger testimony than anything you could

ever don’t don’t quit don’t quit the

business cuz you failed three times do

it again cuz I’m gonna get the glory out

of this thing from beginning to the end

hear what I’m saying to you the next how

many ever parts of this series I do imma

teach you what to do when you’re under

because the enemy has had his last day

convincing any of us that we are buried

Oh somebody should be able to rejoice

right there this will not take you out

somebody shot at me I planted not buried

come on one more time say I’m planted

not buried and maybe you’re in this

place you’re saying pastor I feel all

the weight of the world on me right now

I’m under I’m really under it in it I if

I had time I tell you all of it but I’m

under all you have to do is worry about

what’s on the inside and you may be in

this place you want to invite the God of

the universe on the inside so that no

matter do y’all realize this that even

when crap happens

some of y’all know where I’m going the

very thing that’s stinky inconvenient

and disgusting

I think Romans 8 says it like this all

things work together for Micah so the

very thing that you thought was gonna

embarrass me and take me out becomes

fertilizer and it’ll be the very thing

that accelerates what God is doing in my

like I’m telling you you have to change

your perspective today you are not

buried you are not going to die just

because you’re under it is not over you

are planted and God’s about to get the

glory out of your life can somebody give

God praise oh come on like you’re

planted and you’re not oh I dare you

hallelujah