T.D. Jakes Quotes & Sayings

Much like the removal of moles and skin lesions is done to prevent them from growing into more serious skin abnormalities, removing minor discord before it becomes a calamity is an important use of our time. Most people don't like to make waves and they swallow frustration and bury true feelings, not wanting to compromise temporary tranquility, never realizing that massive turmoil doesn't start out massive - it grows beneath the skin like a cancer that could have been avoided with early detection. — T.D. Jakes

The right thing at the wrong time will lead to failure. — T.D. Jakes

Every goal that you will ever pursue will require a plan of action. Whether you are pursuing your life's destiny or striving to obtain a particular goal, you must be able to see things as you desire them to be. — T.D. Jakes

The unborn baby lies in a cage we call a womb. He has eyes but cannot use them, and a mouth that he has never eaten with. He has been innately equipped for a world he has not been exposed to. His innate instincts like sucking, seeing, walking, and sitting have never been utilized because no opportunity exists in his present safe and warm cocoon of development. He must be born and enter the world to discover the instincts imbued by his Creator. — T.D. Jakes

You can't just be a recipient of a blessing, you have to do something to make it happen. — T.D. Jakes

I actually grew up playing the piano in the church and was deeply involved in music ministry. — T.D. Jakes

a setback is a setup for a comeback — T.D. Jakes

You must realize that if you are going to reach the heights you have been called to reach, you may elicit some criticism from those who are jealous, petty or angry because they were left behind. — T.D. Jakes

Instead of loaves of bread, many times God gives out handfuls of purpose. — T.D. Jakes

Some young ladies are so starved for male approval that what should be a normal attraction to men is accelerated into an obsessive need for male affirmation. Tragically, these dear ladies allow themselves to be devoured in the arms of men who have neither regard not respect for them as people. — T.D. Jakes

One of the things about my ministry is that I have never branded myself as being above the people or superior to people. — T.D. Jakes

Serving the Lord is not always easy or popular. Folks may laugh at you on your job, mocking and making fun of your faith. But once you decide that there's no turning back, something in your heart rises up and says "no" to the devil and "yes" to the Lord. — T.D. Jakes

Instincts under pressure crush the carbon of conformity and create diamonds. — T.D. Jakes

There are some fires you can't get out of- you've got to go through the fire - you've got to go through the flood - you've got to go through the test - you've got to go through the struggle that you might decrease and he might increase. — T.D. Jakes

It does matter where you go to church, it does matter where you worship, it does matter where you lift your head, it does matter where you cry out to God. There is something about the atmosphere. I might be lame, but put me in the atmosphere. I may be drunk, but put me in the atmosphere. I may be weak, but put me in the atmosphere. — T.D. Jakes

No matter where you are in life right now, know this: God put you on this earth to fulfill the promise He has predestined for your life. — T.D. Jakes

Either your troubles make you better, or they make you bitter. We must always examine what's going on in our hearts. — T.D. Jakes

Never make a permanent decision about a temporary situation. — T.D. Jakes

If only we could realize that our purpose is to be caretakers. We are responsible for leading our flock to the place where the grass is green, but it is up to them to eat! We cannot be responsible for how much they digest. We cannot make people mature. — T.D. Jakes

You cannot partake of the power of Christ's resurrection unless you are first willing to lay down your own will and desires, and die to all your pride and independence. — T.D. Jakes

When ideas hang out with influence, income will always emerge. — T.D. Jakes

Forgive others so that you may be forgiven. — T.D. Jakes

The enemy doesn't care how many days you live as long as you don't live in the days you have. — T.D. Jakes

But I think my mistakes became the chemistry for my miracles. I think that my tests became my testimonies. — T.D. Jakes

Church only benefits you when you participate in the presence of God. — T.D. Jakes

And another thing is that I think as a church whenever we become politically driven, we alienate at least 50 percent of the people that God called us to reach with our political orientations. — T.D. Jakes

I want to congratulate all the men out there who are working diligently to be good fathers whether they are stepfathers, or biological fathers or just spiritual fathers. — T.D. Jakes

The moment you start to embrace how you have been formed and fashioned is the moment you step into the very purpose for which you were created. — T.D. Jakes

I found out that the things that hurt us the most can become the fuel and the catalyst that propel us toward our destiny. It will either make you bitter or it will make you better. — T.D. Jakes

I came to serve notice on the devil- he is a liar! — T.D. Jakes

As much as it pleases God to bless you, there will be moments when everything you try goes up in smoke. There will be moments when the one you counted on most walks away and leaves you groping through blinding tears and wailing questions of why. Plans and goals can be circumvented by the most disappointing of times, leaving you learning the art of patience and the acceptance of a denied request. — T.D. Jakes

Even when things are getting worse instead of better - I believe God! — T.D. Jakes

Focus on your accomplishments , not your failures. — T.D. Jakes

The pursuit of your life is to come into [your] purpose. And the waste of your life is to miss that purpose. — T.D. Jakes

It is possible for you to get a grip on the thing that used to have a grip on you. And instead of it controlling you- you are now controlling it. — T.D. Jakes

Resist your fear; fear will never lead to you a positive end. Go for your faith and what you believe. — T.D. Jakes

You'd be surprised at the things that look great on the outside but are dysfunctional on the inside. Be sure to function as good as you look — T.D. Jakes

Once you have confidence in your instincts, you must never allow other people's refusal to believe, or their data to refute, what you instinctively know is true. — T.D. Jakes

Our instincts may have even guided us to hide parts of ourselves in order to keep them alive when we were younger. — T.D. Jakes

If you don't find a way to love a flawed person, secretly you're teaching yourself that you are not lovable because of your flaws. — T.D. Jakes

There is nothing I'm any more passionate than empowering the next generation. — T.D. Jakes

You can't have healing without sickness. — T.D. Jakes

May the passion to be all that God wants you to be sweep across your soul like a gentle breeze. — T.D. Jakes

Life's a university that'll teach you lessons, regardless of your desire to pass the "class" or not, there is always something else to learn — T.D. Jakes

The T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible: Life Lessons on Relationships from the Inspired Word of God. — T.D. Jakes

Too many people want the appearance of winning rather than the practices and hard work that create a true champion. — T.D. Jakes

The challenge of the believer is to take the faith that you got in here and take it to the place out there. — T.D. Jakes

Often after years of deep investment into others we are shocked and disappointed that they simply didn't get who we really are. — T.D. Jakes

You don't even have to be the one praying, but if you get around somebody who really know how to pray-prayer will lift you when you've fallen, prayer will catch you when you've lost your grip, prayer will stop you from going overboard, prayer will bring you out! — T.D. Jakes

Sometimes we esteem others more important than ourselves. We always become the martyr. It is wonderful to be self-sacrificing, but watch out for self-disdain! If we don't apply some of the
medicine that we use on others to strengthen ourselves, our patients will be healed and we will be dying. — T.D. Jakes

We are the people that we have been waiting for and no one else is coming. — T.D. Jakes

The Hell of Regret He who wins the race cannot run with the pack. And once you get out you can't come back, because caged lions don't mate with free ones! If ever you are going to win, you
must forsake the social construct of the cage and all the cage dwellers. — T.D. Jakes

Unforgiveness denies the victim the possibility of parole and leaves them stuck in the prison of what was, incarcerating them in their trauma and relinquishing the chance to escape beyond the pain. — T.D. Jakes

But you cannot go through the Door of Destiny without passing through the Hall of Haters. — T.D. Jakes

Face the giants in your life, slay them, and move on. Do not be daunted by the mistakes and failures in your life. — T.D. Jakes

I think it is important that we rebuild an atmosphere of forgiveness and civility in every aspect of our lives. — T.D. Jakes

If someone must be hurt, if it ever becomes necessary to bear pains, weather strong winds, or withstand trials or opposition, let it be adults and not children. — T.D. Jakes

Someone you considered a friend will kick you to the curb because you stop hanging out so much with the fellas to be with your girlfriend. Prioritize your relationships and you will discover who your real friends are. — T.D. Jakes

Whenever you face obstacles, crises and dilemmas and your confidence is in your associates more than in God- it is a sign your faith is deteriorating. — T.D. Jakes

Do you have any idea who you have the capacity to become? If you were not bound by the confines of your mind, who might you become? — T.D. Jakes

All of us have not been to a natural prison, but everybody in here has had a spiritual prison. — T.D. Jakes

Besides, Jesus was a rich man. He had to have been, in order to have supported his disciples and their families during his ministry. — T.D. Jakes

If you think down, you will go down. If you think up, you will go up. You'll always travel in the direction of your thinking. — T.D. Jakes

To be unforgiving is like to drink poison and wait for someone else to die!!
Rev. TD Jakes (have I said how much I love ya!) — T.D. Jakes

Big ideas come from forward thinking people who challenge the norm, think outside the box, and invent the world they see inside rather than submitting to the limitations of current dilemmas — T.D. Jakes

God gives you the resources for success. But it is up to you to recognize them and use them to their fullest. — T.D. Jakes

It is the breaking of life that produces the blessing of life, — T.D. Jakes

Your latter days are supposed to be greater than your former days. — T.D. Jakes

The critic is a prisoner to his own experiences and perspectives, erroneously believing his limited experiences are the sum of all truth — T.D. Jakes

Faith will get in the ditch with you, faith will go in the prison with you, faith will go into divorce court with you, faith will go in the hospital with you, faith will go in the nursing home with you. — T.D. Jakes

So though there are many things I would have done differently, I submit to God's sovereignty and His purpose in my life and I thank Him that He brought me the way He brought me and gave me what He gave me when He thought I could handle it. — T.D. Jakes

There's some stuff you just leave alone. You don't fix every problem that comes across your radar. You don't try to straighten out every dispute that comes before you. Don't chase down every rumor. If people are gossiping about you, let them talk, because the people who are talking negatively about you don't matter. — T.D. Jakes

Will you bring life to your dream or will you allow it to die of neglect? It is absolutely true that you have a divine summons to fulfill, but it's not automatic and it's not guaranteed. You are the major player who must give yourself fully to the process of becoming. — T.D. Jakes

Faith becomes a bridge between where I am and where I want to go- it is a substance. — T.D. Jakes

There's something you learn from helping other people with their dreams that prepares you for your own. — T.D. Jakes

I'm for people bettering themselves, no matter who they are and where they are, doing all they can to be all they can be. — T.D. Jakes

Come hell or high water you will never take me back to the place I was before. I have been through too much to let life whoop me again. My faith is stronger than it's ever been, my mind is more tenacious than it's ever been, my soul is more absolute. — T.D. Jakes

God has ordered our existence to operate like a farmer planting seed in a field. If you pray and ask God for an oak tree, the Almighty might send you an acorn, because big things can come from small beginnings. God's answer may not look like your request. So when you get an acorn but were expecting a tree, don't throw the acorn away. Your tree is in the seed. God works through the agricultural principle of planting a seed and reaping a harvest. Your something small can become something mighty if you are a good steward of the seed. — T.D. Jakes

The people ahead of you, living in the liberty of instinct-guided uniqueness, will welcome you, encourage you, and mentor you. They will inspire you to be a pioneer and not a poser. Only those incarcerated by their unwillingness to listen to their instincts and to take the risks required for success will seek to deter you. — T.D. Jakes

The art of avoiding extremes is an art that is drawn on the canvas of maturity and painted with the abstract strokes of many experiences. — T.D. Jakes

Remember that for every problem you face, Heaven has a divine prescription. God has a command of authority that you can bring against your present condition! — T.D. Jakes

I'll give you some symptoms of a sign that your faith is deteriorating-whenever you face all of your problems and you trust only your plans to get you out-it is a sign that your faith is deteriorating. — T.D. Jakes

You are just one idea away from what you sow in your brains, in your prophecies that God spoke over your life. You're one idea away. You are not waiting on God - God is waiting on you! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go on and on about that. I have this stuff in me and I have no place to release it to you because sometimes church people are so spiritual they make me nauseous, because they expect God to do everything. — T.D. Jakes

The first time I walked on a stage I knew that was what I was created to do. I knew that there was a calling and a sense of purpose in my life that gave me fulfillment and a sense of destiny. — T.D. Jakes

Each day is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to Him. — T.D. Jakes

If you can dream it, you can achieve it. The secret to recapturing dreams is to enjoy the pursuit of the dream, rather than to focus on the outcome. — T.D. Jakes

Street cred is hard won and Destiny requires you to pay it forward. God helps you through hard times so you can help someone else. — T.D. Jakes

One of the great healing balms of the Holy Spirit is forgiveness. To forgive is to break the link between you and your past. — T.D. Jakes

Nobody wants to stand behind a parked car. You got to always follow somebody who keeps it moving. — T.D. Jakes

Sometimes what makes us insecure and vulnerable becomes the fuel we need to be overachievers. The antidote for a snakebite is made from the poison, and the thing that made you go backward is the same force that will push you forward. — T.D. Jakes

Why am I here? You may have asked the question as you found yourself in the midst of an amazing, divinely orchestrated opportunity, or you may have asked it in reaction to having made the worst mistake of your life. — T.D. Jakes

Divorce is not merely separating; it is the tearing apart of what was once joined together. — T.D. Jakes

Every major move in my life was done instinctively. — T.D. Jakes

As we forge deeper into this issue of forgiveness, we must be prepared to open up and discuss things that bother us before they escalate to a crisis level. We must examine our struggles with forgiveness in which there are not overt offenses or blatant betrayals. I'm convinced that seeds of resentment take root in the silent frustrations that never get discussed. Other people cannot read our minds
or our palms!
and that is why we have tongues to speak. — T.D. Jakes

When God blesses you, don't let no devil in hell move you out of your place of blessing! — T.D. Jakes

Your greatest failure will precede your greatest success. — T.D. Jakes

How can we teach our children to respect Black women if Black women don't respect Black women? — T.D. Jakes

Never make a permanent decision based on a temporary storm.. No matter how raging the billows are today, remind yourself: "This too shall pass!" — T.D. Jakes

Nobody wants somebody who wants them for what they have or the position their in- you want somebody who wants you for you. In case it all goes crazy and it all turns to dust. I want somebody who loves me in the welfare line, eating gumbo, eating fish,black eyed peas and rice. I want somebody that loves me. God wants you to love him, not his cars, not his house, not his blessing- love him. — T.D. Jakes

The world is a university and everyone in it is a teacher. Make sure when you wake up in the morning you go to school. — T.D. Jakes