Touré Roberts - Get The Bag

I really sense something strong from God, and that’s why I named this message «Get the Bag.» I sensed that some of you might have a fear—in your pursuit of what God has for you this year—that you would become distracted by your idea of success, accomplishment, or goals. I don’t know, maybe you want to be a millionaire for the first time; whatever it is, I had this fear that you would be investing in something whimsical. You could be spending time, energy, and effort trying to «get it,» and it would ultimately distract you and change who you are. Can I speak to you honestly for a moment? One thing I’ve learned, from pastoring here and encountering people, is that in order to focus solely on getting the bag, you have to become a different type of person. Oh, I feel the Spirit of the Lord! I’m not saying be unwise or not a good businessperson. Listen, I look at things from every angle. But there’s a difference between being prudent and investing your time wisely versus being someone who is just focused on the come-up.

I need to come down and talk to you. You have to be—you—you may not realize that you’re that type of person. Let me describe what that type of person looks like. It might seem like ambition, hustle, grind, and inspiration, but it’s not. You are so focused on that you become blind to the things going on around you. That person is so fixated on the money that they miss the pain that was supposed to bring purpose out of them, which would have taken them to the next level. The reality is that your purpose will elevate you, not the bag. Are you tracking with me? It’s you tapping into what God placed inside you that meets a need on Earth that will promote you. Your purpose will promote you, but when you’re all about the bag—trying to secure it—you walk past the problems that your solutions could address. By addressing those, you’ll be partnering with God on Earth, and He will promote and bless you because He wants to bless you, just like He told Abraham: «I will bless you and make your name great.» What does that mean? I will elevate you. I have no issue making your name great if you’re going to exalt Mine and be a blessing to others.

You must understand that if you’re just after the bag, you’ll miss this. I want to urge you to slow down because you have to become a different type of person to pursue this. I’ve met people, and I love everyone, but there’s a difference. I now understand: being rich is not the same as acting foolishly rich. The money can have a hold on you. Perhaps that’s what Jesus meant in Matthew chapter 6 when He said you can’t serve both God and Mammon. Jesus is saying, «I know you think you can, but you really can’t.» I’m not saying you can’t love Jesus and be wealthy; that would be a lie. I am saying that if your focus is consumed by the desire to get riches, sometimes it’s not even the money—it’s the status. Whether it’s the status, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life, it’s all the same thing. You become a different person—a zombie to God. God wants to move you, but He can’t, because you’re walking right past the people He ordained you to touch.

The burden I have is that I would hate for those listening to me—whether in person or through a live stream—to invest all their time, energy, passion, youth, and resources into getting the bag and then realize it wasn’t what they thought it would be. Oh, I feel the Holy Spirit! There are people—maybe not anyone here, but someone watching via live stream—who thinks that more money would solve their problems. Don’t look at me; just keep this in your heart. If I could just get a check for seven million, I believe everything would fall into place. But it isn’t true. Let me tell you a quick story. My son, if you were here on New Year’s Eve, you heard me talk about this. My son Isaiah was playing basketball and he sprained his ankle really badly. We didn’t know what it was at first.