APOC Ministry

You got the news. The house burned down. The kids are gone. The people you trusted turned their backs. And now you're spiraling.

In this powerful message, Dr. Eric Thomas uses 1 Samuel 30 to expose why overthinking is destroying your life and how to stop it before it ruins everything. David lost everything in one day. His city was burned. His wives and children were taken captive. His own men wanted to stone him. But the Bible says David did not spiral. He did not process. He did not overthink. He encouraged himself in the Lord.

Get Encouraged. Get Permission. Get Direction. Then pursue.

IN THIS MESSAGE YOU'LL DISCOVER:
→ The three strategies to stop overthinking before it ruins your life
→ Why processing is just gossiping and what to do instead
→ How David lost everything and recovered everything in the same chapter
→ Why you must get permission before you move
→ The two questions David asked God that changed everything
→ Why the devil wants to drag you into the deep and how to stay on solid ground

📖 KEY SCRIPTURES
1 Samuel 30:1–8
Psalm 34:1
Proverbs 3:5–6
Philippians 4:8
Romans 8:28
Jeremiah 29:11

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Welcome: The Gift of Gratitude and Worship
• 00:04:21 The Three Strategies to Stop Spiraling
• 00:07:04 David Was Greatly Distressed: Understanding the Crisis
• 00:16:03 Strategy Number One: Get Encouraged in the Lord
• 00:19:39 What NOT to Do: Processing is Gossiping
• 00:21:42 The Alligator and the Lion: Don't Get Dragged Into the Deep
• 00:28:24 Strategy Number Two: Get Permission from God
• 00:31:02 Strategy Number Three: Get Direction and Inquire of the Lord
• 00:43:34 God's Answer: Pursue and You Will Overtake
• 00:45:23 A Testimony of Trusting God
• 00:55:37 Next Steps: Connect, Pray, Give, and Share

🔥 IF THIS HIT YOU
Share it with someone who's overthinking and spiraling right now.
Subscribe and turn on notifications → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRzMQFmplNd4-H1X5bj1jA?sub_confirmation=1

📲 CONNECT WITH APOC
📱 Download the App → Search "APOC Ministry" in your app store
🙏 Submit a Prayer Request → Tap "Prayer" in the app
💸 Partner With Us → https://pushpay.com/g/apocministry
📅 Join Us LIVE: Saturdays @ 11AM EST

🎤 ABOUT ERIC THOMAS — ET THE HIP HOP PREACHER
Dr. Eric Thomas is a world-renowned motivational speaker, pastor, author, and educator. From homeless high school dropout to PhD, ET's story has inspired millions across the globe. Known as ET The Hip Hop Preacher, he has spoken to the NFL, NBA, Fortune 500 companies, and now leads A Place of Change Ministry in Grand Ledge, Michigan alongside his wife, Dede Thomas, and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus. With over 2.1M Instagram followers, 1.5M YouTube subscribers, and millions of podcast downloads, ET's message of faith, sacrifice, and accountability continues to transform lives worldwide.

You think you have a reason to complain. So did TJ Tyus.

He faced criminal charges and the threat of prison. He lost his own dream of playing in the NFL. He gave his life to God and served for years without a paycheck, driving three hours round trip to teach Bible study and helping raise more than a hundred kids and send them to college.

He poured that lost dream into his sons. One of them has been working toward the NFL since he was six years old, and he did everything right: the discipline, the degree, the prayer. He finally signed. He started a game and played well. Two days later he was cut. Then signed again, and cut again. Team after team, the same phone call keeps coming.

And TJ adopted a little girl out of foster care, fought cancer beside her, and buried her.

If anybody had the right to act wild, it was him. He told God the truth: you never failed me, but you disappointed me. Then he made a decision. If I cannot praise, I will not complain. I will praise God or I will be quiet.

This message is for you if life just hit you with something you cannot control and you are one bad moment away from losing it. You did not have a bad day. You had a bad moment, and you kept adding "and" to it. Here is how you stop.

IN THIS EPISODE
• Why you keep asking God to end the challenge that is supposed to change you
• Why your half squat does not count
• What "David encouraged himself" really means: take courage
• How to stop stacking "and... and... and..." and put a "but" in your spirit
• The FOCUS reset: Find your feet, Observe your focus, Check the meaning, Select one next step
• How to make your valley a valley of praise

SCRIPTURES
• 1 Samuel 30:6
• Matthew 4:1-3
• Luke 2:49
• 2 Chronicles 20:12
• 2 Chronicles 20:21-22
• Hebrews 11:6

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Welcome: The Gift of Being Coached Through Challenges
• 00:00:52 Without Challenge, There Is No Change
• 00:03:49 The Squat Lesson: Going All the Way Down
• 00:06:18 The Aries Story: God's Plan in Foster Care and Adoption
• 00:09:36 Cancer, Diabetes, and Learning to Encourage Yourself
• 00:11:29 When in the Wild, Don't Act Wild
• 00:15:37 Mission Over Mood: The Day After Aries Passed
• 00:15:55 David Was Distressed, But He Encouraged Himself
• 00:19:40 If You Can't Praise, Be Quiet
• 00:24:19 The Sword of the Spirit: Building Strength to Wield the Word
• 00:31:16 Education and Experience: What Makes You Confident in the Wild
• 00:33:32 I Must Be About My Father's Business
• 00:34:37 Jesus in the Wilderness: Led by the Spirit to Be Tested
• 00:38:43 The FOCUS Reset Formula
• 00:41:23 The Valley of Praise: 2 Chronicles 20
• 00:44:47 What Will Your Valley Be Called?
• 00:46:41 My Mother's Dementia and the Spirit She Prayed Over Me
• 00:48:15 Altar Call: Make Your Valley a Valley of Praise

🔥 IF THIS HIT YOU
Share it with someone who is in the middle of a hard season and needs to hear this.
Subscribe and turn on notifications → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRzMQFmplNd4-H1X5bj1jA?sub_confirmation=1

📲 CONNECT WITH APOC
📱 Download the App → Search "APOC Ministry" in your app store
🙏 Submit a Prayer Request → Tap "Prayer" in the app
💸 Partner With Us → apocministry.org/give
📅 Join Us LIVE: Saturdays @ 11AM EST

🎤 ABOUT ERIC THOMAS — ET THE HIP HOP PREACHER
Dr. Eric Thomas is a world-renowned motivational speaker, pastor, author, and educator. From homeless high school dropout to PhD, ET's story has inspired millions across the globe. Known as ET The Hip Hop Preacher, he has spoken to the NFL, NBA, Fortune 500 companies, and now leads A Place of Change Ministry in Grand Ledge, Michigan alongside his wife, Dede Thomas, and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus. With over 2.1M Instagram followers, 1.5M YouTube subscribers, and millions of podcast downloads, ET's message of faith, sacrifice, and accountability continues to transform lives worldwide.

You've been working hard. Praying harder. Fasting. Reading your Word. But if you're honest, nothing's really changed. And the question God is asking you today isn't whether you're trying. It's whether you're listening to what you're saying.

In this powerful message, Dr. Eric Thomas uses the story of David in 1 Samuel 30 to expose why 322 million people are living with depression and why so many believers are stuck in cycles they were never meant to repeat. It's not because you don't have what it takes. It's not because God hasn't blessed you. It's because you've been using your mouth to curse what God is trying to bless.

Your words are not neutral. Life and death are in the power of your tongue.

This message introduces the winning formula God gave through David: Wake Up. Rejoice. Encourage Yourself. Keep Moving.

IN THIS MESSAGE YOU'LL DISCOVER:
→ Why 322 million people are living with depression and how to break free
→ The four disasters that happened to David before he encouraged himself in the Lord
→ Why murmuring and complaining are not harmless
→ How your words create an atmosphere and shape your reality
→ The winning formula: Wake Up, Rejoice, Encourage Yourself, Keep Moving
→ How to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony

📖 KEY SCRIPTURES
1 Samuel 30:1–6
Psalm 34:1
Psalm 118:24
Proverbs 18:21
James 3:10–11
Revelation 12:11

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Welcome: The Gift of Being Commanded to Rejoice
• 00:01:13 The Tension Between Religion and Truth
• 00:04:28 Four Things You Must Pay Attention To
• 00:08:23 Encourage Yourself in the Lord: The Context You're Missing
• 00:17:00 Disaster Number One: Everything You Worked For Is Gone
• 00:22:11 Disaster Number Two: His Family Was Taken Captive
• 00:25:04 Disaster Number Three: His Own Men Threatened to Kill Him
• 00:30:21 But David Strengthened Himself in the Lord
• 00:32:16 Your Words Are Not Harmless: They Create Your Reality
• 00:36:03 Grown Folk Talk: You're Creating What You're Complaining About
• 00:50:24 Stop Cursing What You Didn't Build
• 00:56:08 The Formula: Wake Up, Rejoice, Get Hit, Encourage Yourself, Keep Moving
• 01:03:13 Take Your Next Steps: Connect, Pray, Give, Share

🔥 IF THIS HIT YOU
Share it with someone who's been talking themselves into depression instead of encouraging themselves in the Lord.
Subscribe and turn on notifications → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRzMQFmplNd4-H1X5bj1jA?sub_confirmation=1

📲 CONNECT WITH APOC
📱 Download the App → Search "APOC Ministry" in your app store
🙏 Submit a Prayer Request → Tap "Prayer" in the app
💸 Partner With Us → apocministry.org/give
📅 Join Us LIVE: Saturdays @ 11AM EST

🎤 ABOUT ERIC THOMAS — ET THE HIP HOP PREACHER
Dr. Eric Thomas is a world-renowned motivational speaker, pastor, author, and educator. From homeless high school dropout to PhD, ET's story has inspired millions across the globe. Known as ET The Hip Hop Preacher, he has spoken to the NFL, NBA, Fortune 500 companies, and now leads A Place of Change Ministry in Grand Ledge, Michigan alongside his wife, Dede Thomas, and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus. With over 2.1M Instagram followers, 1.5M YouTube subscribers, and millions of podcast downloads, ET's message of faith, sacrifice, and accountability continues to transform lives worldwide.

You've been working hard. Praying harder. Fasting. Reading your Word. But if you're honest, nothing's really changed. And the question God is asking you today isn't whether you're trying. It's whether you're listening.

In this powerful message, Dr. Eric Thomas uses Haggai 1:5–7, the story of Nehemiah, and a revelation from a 12-year-old wrestler to expose why so many believers are stuck in cycles they were never meant to repeat. It's not because you're not working. It's not because you're not praying. It's because you're asking God to bless your decisions instead of asking Him to make the decision.

God wants the exact same thing you want. He just doesn't want you to leave Him out.

Using Haggai 1, God confronts His people with a hard truth: You have sown much, but bring in little. You eat, but have not enough. You drink, but are not filled. You clothe yourselves, but there is no warmth. And he that earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.

God isn't saying this to condemn you. He's saying it because you're not where you're supposed to be, and something has to change. He's not asking you to consider His ways. He's asking you to consider YOUR ways. Look at what you're doing on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Look at how you're spending your money. Look at who you're attracting yourself to. Look at what you're doing. And ask yourself: is this working?

Through a revelation from his 12-year-old god-son Trey, Pastor ET breaks down the difference between basketball coaching and wrestling coaching. In basketball and football, you talk to your coach between plays. But in wrestling, your coach is actively talking to you while you're wrestling. In the middle of a move, your coach is saying, "Don't do that, do this instead."

That's how God wants to coach you. Not after you've already made the decision. Not after you've already spent the money. Not after you've already entered the relationship. He wants to speak to you WHILE you're in the middle of it. But most of us don't want coaching from God. We want relief. We want access. We want income. We want results. And we're okay getting all of it without Him.

God is saying: I want to give you everything you're asking for. I just don't want to lose when you get blessed.

Before Nehemiah rebuilt the wall in 52 days, God spent four months building Nehemiah. Because God builds the heart before He builds the wall. You cannot build something new with an old heart. And you cannot attract what you pray for. You only attract what you are.

This message introduces the winning formula God gave through a 12-year-old: Ask Before. Listen During. Review After.

Don't ask God to bless your decision. Ask God to make the decision, and it's already blessed. Don't come to God after you've done what you wanted to do. Let Him yoke you up and coach you in real time. And when it's over, review it. Ask yourself: Where did I listen today? And where did I ignore Him?

IN THIS MESSAGE YOU'LL DISCOVER:
→ Why you're working hard but still not progressing
→ The coaching problem: why we want relief, access, income, and results without God
→ How a 12-year-old wrestler revealed the secret to breakthrough
→ The difference between basketball coaching and wrestling coaching
→ Why God is just as hurt as you are when you're stuck
→ How to stop asking God to bless your decision and start asking Him to make the decision
→ The winning formula: Ask Before, Listen During, Review After
→ Why you only attract what you are, not what you pray for
→ Why repeating the strongest behaviors brings the best results

📖 KEY SCRIPTURES
Haggai 1:5–7
Nehemiah 1:4
Nehemiah 6:15
Proverbs 3:5–6
Isaiah 30:21
Jeremiah 29:11
Psalm 51:10
Matthew 7:7–8
Malachi 3:10–11
Ephesians 2:10

CHAPTERS:

🔥 IF THIS HIT YOU
Share it with someone who's been working hard but still not getting the breakthrough God has for them.
Subscribe and turn on notifications → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRzMQFmplNd4-H1X5bj1jA?sub_confirmation=1

📲 CONNECT WITH APOC
📱 Download the App → Search "APOC Ministry" in your app store
🙏 Submit a Prayer Request → Tap "Prayer" in the app
💸 Partner With Us → apocministry.org/give
📅 Join Us LIVE: Saturdays @ 11AM EST

🎤 ABOUT ERIC THOMAS — ET THE HIP HOP PREACHER
Dr. Eric Thomas is a world-renowned motivational speaker, pastor, author, and educator. From homeless high school dropout to PhD, ET's story has inspired millions across the globe. Known as ET The Hip Hop Preacher, he has spoken to the NFL, NBA, Fortune 500 companies, and now leads A Place of Change Ministry in Grand Ledge, Michigan alongside his wife, Dede Thomas, and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus. With over 2.1M Instagram followers, 1.5M YouTube subscribers, and millions of podcast downloads, ET's message of faith, sacrifice, and accountability continues to transform lives worldwide. He is also the recipient of the President's Lifetime...

You were born to win. You were chosen to win. So why do you keep returning to the same patterns God already freed you from?

In this powerful message, Dr. Eric Thomas uses Galatians 5:1, Proverbs 26:11, and the story of Nehemiah to reveal why we repeat destructive cycles and how to finally break them.

It is not because you do not have what it takes. It is not because God has not blessed you. The problem is that many of us refuse to do three essential things:

REVIEW. OWN. ADJUST.

Before Nehemiah rebuilt the wall in 52 days, he spent four months praying, fasting, mourning, thinking, and preparing. God did not begin with the wall. He began with Nehemiah’s heart.

If you want to stop losing and start winning, you must allow God to coach you. Let Him examine your attitude, decisions, character, systems, and patterns.

Using Haggai 1:5–7, Pastor ET explains what happens when we work hard without examining how we are living:

You plant much but harvest little.
You eat but are not satisfied.
You drink but remain thirsty.
You earn money, but it disappears like wages placed into pockets filled with holes.

The issue may not be that you are not working. You may simply be repeating a system that cannot produce the result you want.

This message challenges you to stop blaming the season, the people around you, or your circumstances. Review the pattern. Own your decisions. Adjust the system. Then allow God to lead you forward.

IN THIS MESSAGE, YOU WILL DISCOVER:

• Why you were born and chosen to win
• The winning formula: Review, Own, Adjust
• Why we return to things God already freed us from
• What happened during the four months before Nehemiah’s 52-day rebuild
• How to let God search and examine your heart
• Why refusing correction keeps people stuck
• How your attitude, choices, and character affect your results
• Why ownership is necessary for transformation
• How to stop blaming others and start coaching yourself
• Why you cannot change your finances, relationships, or future without changing yourself

KEY SCRIPTURES:

Galatians 5:1
Proverbs 26:11
Psalm 139:23–24
Nehemiah 1:4
Haggai 1:5–7
Isaiah 43:1–4
Jeremiah 29:11
Ephesians 2:10
Galatians 6:4
Proverbs 4:23

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Welcome: The Gift of Being Chosen to Win
• 00:00:39 You Were Born to Win: God's Design From Day One
• 00:04:34 Don't Go Back: Stand Fast in Your Freedom
• 00:08:56 As a Dog Returns to His Vomit: Breaking the Cycle
• 00:10:44 The Four Months Before the 52 Days: Heart Surgery First
• 00:12:49 The Winning Formula: Review, Own, Adjust
• 00:19:23 Search Me, O God: Letting Coach Examine You
• 00:32:19 Look at What's Happening to You: Haggai's Mirror
• 00:37:09 Ownership and Accountability: Stop Blaming Others
• 00:43:46 Kenneth Walker III: The Power of Not Being a Victim
• 00:48:01 Speed and Kai Cenat: Taking the Internet Seriously
• 00:50:04 The Mirror Exercise: Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
• 00:59:09 Altar Call: Four Months of Coaching with God
• 01:02:35 Next Steps: Lock In and Don't Miss What's Next

If this message challenged you, share it with someone who is ready to stop returning to old patterns.

Subscribe and turn on notifications:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRzMQFmplNd4-H1X5bj1jA?sub_confirmation=1

📲 CONNECT WITH APOC
📱 Download the App → Search "APOC Ministry" in your app store
🙏 Prayer Requests → Tap "Prayer" in the app
💸 Partner With Us → apocministry.org/give
📅 LIVE: Saturdays @ 11AM EST

🎤 ABOUT ERIC THOMAS
Dr. Eric Thomas is a world-renowned speaker, pastor, author, and educator. From homeless high school dropout to PhD, ET's story has inspired millions across the globe. He has spoken to the NFL, NBA, and Fortune 500 companies, and leads A Place of Change Ministry in Grand Ledge, Michigan alongside his wife Dede Thomas and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus.

🏛️ ABOUT A PLACE OF CHANGE MINISTRY (APOC)
APOC exists to help people experience real transformation through the Word of God, not just hear it, but live it. Built on a culture of Love, Serve, and Grow.

📍 Grand Ledge, MI
🌐 apocministry.org
📧 [email protected]

Can you see?

You've been hearing the Word. You've been receiving the information. You've even believed it. But nothing's changed. And the question God is asking you today isn't whether you heard it. It's whether you can see it. Because meaning determines seeing. Change the meaning, you change what you see. Change what you see, you change what you do.

In this powerful message, Pastor TJ Tyus delivers one of the most transparent, convicting sermons of the year using a simple but profound demonstration: broken reflectors can still reflect perfect light. Through raw personal testimony about the death of his nephew, losing his daughter Aries, kidney disease, and the pain of feeling like a loser when God says you're a winner, Pastor TJ exposes the real reason you're still stuck. It's not because you don't have the information. It's because you're giving it the wrong meaning.

Winning is greater than or equal to you getting what you want.

Most of us believe winning equals getting what we want. But God says winning is greater than or equal to your way. So if you don't get your way, that means God has something greater for you, and you're still winning. It's all about the meaning you give everything.

Using the story of Peter, Pastor TJ breaks down how Peter kept making the same mistakes over and over again: rebuking Jesus, drawing a sword, denying Jesus three times. And every time, it came down to one thing: the meaning Peter gave to what was happening. Peter expected Jesus to come as a ruler who would overthrow Rome. But Jesus came as a servant who gave up His life. Peter had the right person, but the wrong picture.

Through a live demonstration with broken glass and light, Pastor TJ reveals how broken people can still reflect God's perfect light. Even in your brokenness, if you stay in alignment with God, His glory will shine through you. In fact, broken reflectors create more angles, more shapes, more ways for God to use you.

IN THIS MESSAGE YOU'LL DISCOVER:
→ Why winning is greater than or equal to you getting what you want
→ The formula: Event, Meaning, Emotion, Behavior
→ How the meaning you give things creates your emotional state
→ Why broken people can still reflect God's perfect light
→ The difference between a choice and a decision
→ Why Peter kept making the same mistakes and how he finally shifted
→ What courtyard decisions are and how to make the right one
→ Why you need the helmet of salvation to protect the meaning you give things
→ How to stop denying God when He doesn't give you what you want
→ Why crying is healthy and how to encourage yourself in the Lord

📖 KEY SCRIPTURES
2 Corinthians 3:16–18
Matthew 16:21–23
Matthew 26:47–54
Acts 2:14–24
Ephesians 6:17
Jeremiah 29:11
Proverbs 4:23

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Welcome: The Gift of Winning When You Don't Get Your Way
• 00:00:39 When Life Doesn't Feel Like Winning
• 00:04:21 The Real Formula for Winning
• 00:05:26 The Fire That Refines: Burning Off Impurities
• 00:06:52 Broken Things Still Reflect Perfect Light
• 00:12:03 Shine Bright Like a Divine: Aries' Story
• 00:15:50 Peter's Pattern: Rebuking Jesus and Drawing the Sword
• 00:28:37 The Courtyard Decision: When God Lets You Down
• 00:36:47 The Shift: From Denial to Declaration
• 00:40:28 The MEAN Formula: Controlling What You Can Control
• 00:40:55 The Helmet of Salvation: Protecting Your Mind
• 00:47:29 Unconditional Love: Do You Agape Me?

🔥 IF THIS HIT YOU
Share it with someone who's been hearing the Word but not seeing the change.
Subscribe and turn on notifications → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRzMQFmplNd4-H1X5bj1jA?sub_confirmation=1

📲 CONNECT WITH APOC
📱 Download the App → Search "APOC Ministry" in your app store
🙏 Submit a Prayer Request → Tap "Prayer" in the app
💸 Partner With Us → apocministry.org/give
📅 Join Us LIVE: Saturdays @ 11AM EST

🎤 ABOUT PASTOR TJ TYUS
TJ Tyus is Associate Pastor of A Place of Change Ministry in Grand Ledge, Michigan. His story, from being accused of murder in 2005 to becoming a coach, counselor, and pastor, is living proof that transformation is possible. With raw transparency and unshakable faith, Pastor TJ brings a message of hope, healing, and accountability that challenges believers to move from information to transformation.

🏛️ ABOUT A PLACE OF CHANGE MINISTRY (APOC)
A Place of Change Ministry is a Saturday Sabbath church in Grand Ledge, Michigan, led by Pastor Eric Thomas and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus. APOC exists to help people experience real transformation through the Word of God, not just hear it, but live it. We believe the church is not just a place you attend, it's a community you belong to, built on a culture of Love, Serve, and Grow.

📍 Grand Ledge, MI
🌐 apocministry.org
📧 [email protected]

You were born a winner. But if that's true, why aren't you living like one?

In this powerful message, Dr. Eric Thomas delivers one of the most convicting sermons of the year using Ephesians 2:10, Psalm 34, and the story of Nehemiah to expose the real reason you're stuck. It's not that you don't have what it takes. It's that you're asking God to make you something He already made you. You're holding a winning lottery ticket, but you refuse to scratch it off.

Stop asking God to make you a winner and start scratching off everything He already put inside of you.

You were not randomly made. You were intentionally designed for an assignment. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. Before your mother knew you were in her womb, God designed you to win. But you're letting the world tell you who you are instead of letting God remind you whose you are.

Before Nehemiah rebuilt the wall in 52 days, God spent four months searching his heart. Four months of sitting, weeping, mourning, fasting, and praying. Because God doesn't start with the bricks. He starts with the heart. You can't build something new on the outside until God builds something new on the inside.

This message is a divine wake up call. You're comparing yourself to others, asking them if you're a winner, when God already gave you a winning ticket. You're walking into rooms dressed in someone else's anointing, wearing someone else's spirit, trying to be someone else's version of success. Demons recognize demons. And when you walk in your authentic self, anointed by God, people don't just hear your words. They feel your authority.

God is calling you to do three things: Search your heart. Try your ways. Turn again to God. Stop examining everyone else and start examining yourself.

IN THIS MESSAGE YOU'LL DISCOVER:
→ Why you're asking God to make you a winner when He already made you one
→ The lottery ticket revelation: stop waiting for validation and scratch off what God gave you
→ How God rebuked the devourer on ET's birthday during a traffic stop
→ Why the four months before the 52 days is where the real work happens
→ What it means to be God's workmanship, intentionally designed for an assignment
→ The most expensive loss in college football history and what it teaches us about wasted potential
→ Why demons recognize demons and how to walk in your authentic anointing
→ The three things God told Nehemiah: search your heart, try your ways, turn again to God
→ Why you can't build something new on the outside until God builds something new on the inside
→ How to stop doing the right things in the wrong spirit

📖 KEY SCRIPTURES
Ephesians 2:10
Psalm 34:1
Nehemiah 1:4
Nehemiah 6:15
Isaiah 43:1–4
Philippians 2:3–4
John 3:16–17
Malachi 3:10–11
Lamentations 3:40
Matthew 6:33

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Welcome: The Gift of Being God's Workmanship
• 00:01:35 Bless the Lord at All Times: Levels of Praise
• 00:06:37 The Benefits of Putting God First
• 00:13:02 The Birthday Traffic Stop: When God Rebukes the Devourer
• 00:18:19 The Lottery Ticket Lesson: You Are His Workmanship
• 00:22:19 Stop Asking God to Make You a Winner
• 00:22:41 The Four Months Before the 52 Days
• 00:33:58 You Were Not Randomly Made: Intentional Design
• 00:44:08 The Most Expensive Loss in College Football History
• 00:47:18 Demons Recognize Demons: Walking in Your Authentic Self
• 00:51:48 Search Your Heart: The First of Three Things
• 00:58:37 Wrestling With God: When You Won't Accept Who You Are
• 01:04:36 The Spirit You Wear: Doing Right Things the Wrong Way
• 01:07:36 Altar Call: Search, Try, and Turn Again to God
• 01:11:19 Prayer Over the Book, Mason, and Dallas

🔥 IF THIS HIT YOU
Share it with someone who's been standing in the rubble too long.
Subscribe and turn on notifications → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRzMQFmplNd4-H1X5bj1jA?sub_confirmation=1

📲 CONNECT WITH APOC
📱 Download the App → Search "APOC Ministry" in your app store
🙏 Submit a Prayer Request → Tap "Prayer" in the app
💸 Partner With Us → apocministry.org/give
📅 Join Us LIVE: Saturdays @ 11AM EST

ABOUT ERIC THOMAS — ET THE HIP HOP PREACHER
Dr. Eric Thomas is a world-renowned motivational speaker, pastor, author, and educator. From homeless high school dropout to PhD, ET's story has inspired millions across the globe. He has spoken to the NFL, NBA, Fortune 500 companies, and now leads A Place of Change Ministry in Grand Ledge, Michigan alongside his wife, Dede Thomas, and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus. ET's message of faith, sacrifice, and accountability continues to transform lives worldwide. He is also the recipient of the President's Lifetime Achievement Award.

ABOUT APOC MINISTRY
A Place of Change Ministry is a Saturday Sabbath church in Grand Ledge, Michigan, led by Pastor Eric Thomas and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus. APOC exists to help people experience real transformation through the Word of God, not just hear it, but live it.

You've been praying for change. Asking God to rebuild what's broken. But nothing seems to be moving. And if you're honest, you're starting to wonder why.

In this powerful message, Dr. Eric Thomas delivers one of the most convicting sermons of the year using Psalm 139, Jeremiah 17, and the story of Nehemiah to expose the real reason your breakthrough hasn't come yet. It's not that God isn't ready. It's that your heart isn't.

Before Nehemiah rebuilt the wall in 52 days, God spent four months searching his heart. Four months of sitting, weeping, mourning, fasting, and praying. Because God doesn't start with the fruit. He starts with the root. God doesn't start with the wall. He starts with the heart.

God builds the heart before He builds the wall.

You can move to a new city, start a new job, enter a new relationship, but if you take the same heart with you, the same patterns will return. You cannot build something new with an old heart. God has to do something IN you before He can do something THROUGH you.

Through raw personal testimony and transparent teaching, ET reveals why so many believers stay stuck in cycles they were never meant to repeat. It's not because they lack gifts. You can prophesy and never change. You can speak in tongues and stay the same. You can get goosebumps and walk out unbothered. A gift is not a guarantee.

David understood this. After he sinned, he didn't ask God to change his circumstances. He cried out: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

God is not interested in tweaking your behavior. He wants a cataclysmic shift. A sudden, violent, upheaval that brings total, permanent change. Not just for a season. Not just until the next trigger. But a different world on the other side of it.

This message is a divine strategy. Before you take out another loan, before you start another business, before you have another conversation with your spouse, let God search your heart. Let Him cleanse you, heal you, and make you new. Because when the heart is changed, the situation is totally changed.

In this message you'll discover:
→ Why God builds the heart before He builds the wall
→ What a cataclysmic shift is and why you need one
→ How to stop being like a dog returned to his vomit
→ Why you can have gifts and still go to hell
→ The difference between being moved and being changed
→ How four months of heart surgery turns into 52 days of rebuilding
→ Why you keep having the same conversations in your marriage
→ What it means to let God search your heart and try your reins
→ How to stop fixing the fruit and start healing the root

📖 KEY SCRIPTURES
Psalm 139:23–24
Jeremiah 17:9–10
Nehemiah 1:4
Psalm 51:10
Proverbs 4:23
Matthew 7:21–23
1 Corinthians 13:1–3
Revelation 12:11

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Welcome: The Gift of Being Searched by God
• 00:01:29 Praise as a Weapon: Tearing Down Your Walls
• 00:06:43 Before the 52 Days: The Four Months of Heart Surgery
• 00:07:30 God Starts With Roots, Not Fruit
• 00:09:28 Search Me, O God: Psalms 139 and the Divine Strategy
• 00:10:27 The Cataclysmic Shift: What Heart Surgery Produces
• 00:17:09 Create In Me A Clean Heart: David's Prayer After Failure
• 00:17:45 Total Permanent Change: Stop Being a Dog Returned to Vomit
• 00:18:29 Gifts Without Heart Change Lead to Hell
• 00:20:46 You Can Be Moved and Still Be the Same

🔥 IF THIS HIT YOU
Share it with someone who's been trying to change without letting God change their heart.
Subscribe and turn on notifications → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRzMQFmplNd4-H1X5bj1jA?sub_confirmation=1

📲 CONNECT WITH APOC
📱 Download the App → Search "APOC Ministry" in your app store
🙏 Submit a Prayer Request → Tap "Prayer" in the app
💸 Partner With Us → apocministry.org/give
📅 Join Us LIVE: Saturdays @ 11AM EST

🎤 ABOUT ERIC THOMAS — ET THE HIP HOP PREACHER
Dr. Eric Thomas is a world-renowned motivational speaker, pastor, author, and educator. From homeless high school dropout to PhD, ET's story has inspired millions across the globe. Known as ET The Hip Hop Preacher, he has spoken to the NFL, NBA, Fortune 500 companies, and now leads A Place of Change Ministry in Grand Ledge, Michigan alongside his wife, Dede Thomas, and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus. With over 2.1M Instagram followers, 1.39M YouTube subscribers, and millions of podcast downloads, ET's message of faith, sacrifice, and accountability continues to transform lives worldwide. He is also the recipient of the President's Lifetime Achievement Award.

🏛️ ABOUT A PLACE OF CHANGE MINISTRY (APOC)
A Place of Change Ministry is a Saturday Sabbath church in Grand Ledge, Michigan, led by Pastor Eric Thomas and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus. APOC exists to help people experience real transformation through the Word of God, not just hear it, but live it. We believe the church is not just a place you attend, it's a community you belong to, built on a culture of Love, Serve, and Grow.

📍 Grand Ledge, MI
🌐 apocministry.org
📧 [email protected]

Search Me, O God

You’ve been praying for a breakthrough and asking God to rebuild what’s broken, but nothing seems to be changing. If you’re honest, you’re beginning to wonder why God is making you wait.

In this powerful message, Dr. Eric Thomas takes us deeper into the 52 Day Challenge to reveal what must happen before the breakthrough. God is not waiting for your circumstances to line up. He is waiting for you to stop hiding.

Before Nehemiah rebuilt the wall in 52 days, he spent four months sitting, weeping, mourning, fasting, praying, and seeking God. During those four months, God was not only preparing the plan. He was preparing the man.

God builds the heart before He builds the wall.

You can move to a new city, begin a new relationship, or start a new job, but if you carry the same heart into a new environment, the same patterns will eventually return. You cannot build something new with an old heart.

Through personal testimony about learning to affirm his son, grieving what needed to die within him, and finally giving God complete access, ET reveals why many people are still waiting for change. It is not because they are not praying. It is because they are still hiding.

In Genesis 3, after Adam sinned, he hid from God. God never stopped walking through the garden, but humanity stopped allowing Him complete access.

David understood this when he prayed:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23–24

God must do something in you before He can do something through you. That begins when you permit Him to examine the real you: your motives, thoughts, fears, desires, habits, wounds, pride, intentions, and blind spots.

Using the story of Allen Iverson and championship coach Larry Brown, ET explains how two people can love the same game but never win together because they approach it with different hearts. God is saying the same thing to us: You want My results, but you still want to play your way.

You want the 52 days, but you will not give God the four months. You want the breakthrough, but you will not stop hiding.

Let God search you. Let Him see how you are playing so He can coach you. Give Him full access so He can cleanse you, heal you, lead you, and make you new.

IN THIS MESSAGE:

→ Why God builds the heart before He builds the wall
→ The four months of prayer, fasting, grieving, and seeking
→ Why lasting external change requires internal transformation
→ How to stop covering, concealing, and disguising what needs healing
→ Why God must search your heart before rebuilding your life
→ How to stop playing your way and surrender to God’s way

KEY SCRIPTURES

Psalm 139:23–24
Nehemiah 1:4
Genesis 3:10
Psalm 51:10
Proverbs 4:23
Revelation 12:11
Philippians 4:13

What part of your heart have you been afraid to let God examine?

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Welcome: The Gift of Being Searched
• 00:00:39 52 Days: God Rebuilds What Culture Destroyed
• 00:02:16 The Four Months Before the 52 Days
• 00:04:11 Internal Construction Before External Building
• 00:05:46 The Day I Started Crying: Grieving What Must Die
• 00:09:49 The Father's Affirmation: Learning to Validate My Son
• 00:14:12 Search Me, O God: Psalms 139 and Stopping the Hiding
• 00:21:18 Genesis 3: When Man Started Hiding From God
• 00:23:54 God Never Changed, We Did: The Truth About Sin and Hiding
• 00:27:44 Give God Full Access: No More Covering or Concealing
• 00:38:08 Allen Iverson vs Larry Brown: Two Different Hearts
• 00:46:12 Practice: We Don't Play the Game the Same Way
• 00:52:15 The Altar Call: Stop Playing Your Way, Play God's Way
• 00:52:41 Closing Prayer: Cleanse Us and Make Us New
• 00:55:10 Next Steps: Connect, Give, and Share

📲 CONNECT WITH APOC
📱 Download the App → Search "APOC Ministry" in your app store
🙏 Submit a Prayer Request → Tap "Prayer" in the app
💸 Partner With Us → apocministry.org/give
📅 Join Us LIVE: Saturdays @ 11AM EST

🎤 ABOUT ERIC THOMAS — ET THE HIP HOP PREACHER
Dr. Eric Thomas is a world-renowned motivational speaker, pastor, author, and educator. From homeless high school dropout to PhD, ET's story has inspired millions across the globe. Known as ET The Hip Hop Preacher, he has spoken to the NFL, NBA, F

You've been praying for change. You've been asking God to move. But nothing's happening. And if you're honest, you're starting to wonder why God is making you wait.

In this powerful message, Dr. Eric Thomas takes us deep into the story of Nehemiah to reveal the real reason God makes you wait before He rebuilds your life. It's not what you think. It's not punishment. It's not delay. It's preparation.

Before Nehemiah rebuilt the wall in 52 days, he spent four months with God. Four months of sitting, weeping, mourning, fasting, and praying. And in those four months, God wasn't just preparing the plan. He was preparing the man.

God builds the heart before He builds the wall.

You can't build something new with an old heart. You can move to a new city, get a new relationship, start a new job, but if you take the same heart with you, the same thing is going to keep happening. God is not trying to change your circumstances. He's trying to change your heart.

Through raw personal testimony about growing up in Chicago, being homeless in Detroit, and the poison that entered his heart as a child, ET exposes how a poisoned heart destroys opportunities, sabotages relationships, and keeps you stuck in cycles you were never meant to repeat.

A poisoned heart makes you defiant, rebellious, aggressive, indifferent, and self-sabotaging. It makes you reject authority, reject correction, and reject help. It makes you underperform on purpose, hurt yourself to hurt others, and use your potential as a weapon.

But when God heals your heart, everything changes. You start forgiving. You become teachable. You accept correction. You take personal responsibility. You develop humility, accountability, vulnerability, and self-control. And the results you've been praying for finally start showing up.

David knew this. After he killed a man and took his wife, he didn't ask God to change his circumstances. He cried out: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

God spent four months correcting Nehemiah before He spent 52 days constructing the wall. Because God has to do something IN you before He can do something THROUGH you.

In this message you'll discover:
→ Why God builds the heart before He builds the wall
→ How a poisoned heart sabotages every opportunity God gives you
→ Why you can't build something new with an old heart
→ What Nehemiah did in the four months before the 52 day rebuild
→ The difference between changing circumstances and changing your heart
→ How David's prayer for a clean heart unlocked his redemption
→ Why correction is not rejection, it's production on another level
→ How to stop self-sabotaging and start receiving what God has for you
→ What happens when you sit, weep, mourn, fast, and pray before you build

📖 KEY SCRIPTURES
Nehemiah 1:4 — I sat down and wept and mourned certain days and fasted and prayed
Psalm 51:10 — Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me
Proverbs 4:23 — Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life
Jeremiah 17:9 — The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?
Proverbs 9:10 — The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
Psalm 1:1-3 — Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00:00 Welcome: The Gift of Being Tested
• 00:00:41 This Is The Day: Staying Present in God's Moment
• 00:03:01 Tests Are Not Punishment: They're Measurements
• 00:05:30 Jada's Story: Retaking the Test Until You Pass
• 00:14:26 Why God Makes You Wait: Building the Heart Before the Wall
• 00:19:13 The Poison Heart: When Satan's Greatest Weapon Is Your Heart
• 00:21:00 Create In Me A Clean Heart: David's Prayer After Failure
• 00:26:39 From GED to PhD: What a Healed Heart Can Build
• 00:28:23 The Homeless Season: When God Strips Everything to Build You
• 00:49:52 What Changed When The Heart Changed
• 00:58:09 Back to School Blessing: Praying Over Our Children and Youth
• 01:02:33 Final Prayer and Benediction: The Seed of the Righteous

🔥 IF THIS HIT YOU
Share it with someone who's been waiting on God to move but won't let God move in their heart.
Subscribe and turn on notifications → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRzMQFmplNd4-H1X5bj1jA?sub_confirmation=1

📲 CONNECT WITH APOC
📱 Download the App → Search "APOC Ministry" in your app store
🙏 Submit a Prayer Request → Tap "Prayer" in the app
💸 Partner With Us → apocministry.org/give
📅 Join Us LIVE: Saturdays @ 11AM EST

🎤 ABOUT ERIC THOMAS — ET THE HIP HOP PREACHER
Dr. Eric Thomas is a world-renowned motivational speaker, pastor, author, and educator. From homeless high school dropout to PhD, ET's story has inspired millions across the globe. Known as ET The Hip Hop Preacher, he has spoken to the NFL, NBA, Fortune 500 companies, and now leads A Place of Change Ministry in Grand Ledge, Michigan alongside his wife, Dede Thomas, and Associate Pastor TJ Tyus. With over 2.1M Instagram followers, 1.39M YouTube sub