T. D. Jakes Quotations

Stop watering things that were never meant to grow in your life. Water what works, what's good, what's right. Stop playing around with those dead bones and stuff you can't fix, its over...leave it alone! You're coming into a season of greatness. If you water what's alive and divine, you will see harvest like you've never seen before. Stop wasting water on dead issues, dead relationships, dead people, a dead past. No matter how much you water concrete, you can't grow a garden.

When people walk away from you, let them go. Your destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you, and it doesn't mean they are bad people. It just means that their part in your story is over.

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.

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

I think the first step is to understand that forgiveness does not exonerate the perpetrator. Forgiveness liberates the victim. It's a gift you give yourself.

There are no college courses to build up self-esteem or high school or elementary school. If you don't get those values at a early age, nurtured in your home, you don't get them.

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

It is your passion that empowers you to be able to do that thing you were created to do.

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

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.

If you learn how to forgive others for not being strong, then people can learn how to forgive you for your own issues.

Forgiveness is about empowering yourself, rather than empowering your past.

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.

Here is the amazing thing about Easter; the Resurrection Sunday for Christians is this, that Christ in the dying moments on the cross gives us the greatest illustration of forgiveness possible.

We think that forgiveness is weakness, but it's absolutely not; it takes a very strong person to forgive.

As a Christian, Christ died so that we will have eternal life in Him in Heaven. What it looks like doesn't matter, what it smells like doesn't matter, as long as Christ is there it will be Heaven to me.

I like to see myself as a bridge builder, that is me building bridges between people, between races, between cultures, between politics, trying to find common ground.

We cannot embrace God's forgiveness if we are so busy clinging to past wounds and nursing old grudges.

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.

I raised five children. They all have different personalities. All of them have different issues, different levels of success. That was a learning experience for me.

We develop our propensity to forgive or not to forgive by what we see illustrated at the early ages of our development.

I chose to present myself as one who comes from among the people, and I can be touched by their pain because I have my own.

I don't think that you can let the storms of life overwhelm you. When you do that, you are no better than the craziness that caused you to be under attack.

Children are not unforgiving. You can punish them and they will hug you in a few minutes.

But I think my mistakes became the chemistry for my miracles. I think that my tests became my testimonies.

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.

When you make a decision to forgive it's a decision that you have to make intellectually.

My father was a Methodist and my mother was a Baptist.

I think most people who get into their 50s reassess what made sense and what didn't make sense.

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

I'm not particularly political. I'm not particularly denominational. I'm not worried about any of that.

I think the amazing thing about gospel music is that not only does it lift up the death and resurrection of our Lord, which is consistent with the Gospel, but it is uniquely communicated depending upon the generation.

I think that my preaching style and many of my ideas and ideals about faith are based in both Pentecostal and Baptist background.

There is nothing I'm any more passionate than empowering the next generation.

When my father died, I had a real experience with Christ, a real conversion with Christ and I had it in a Oneness church.

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

I was raised in the Baptist church... but I didn't really have a real committed experience with Christ until my father died.

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.

My first church had seven members in it, and I have to remember, the rent was $225 a month and I worked for Union Carbide and took the check I made from work to pay for the rent to keep the church open.

There are people who can walk away from you... let them walk. I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you... Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left. And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person, it just means that their part in the story is over. And you've got to know when people's part in your story is over...

Surround yourself with people whose definition of you is not based on your history, but your destiny.

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.

I have certain standards for myself so if something drops beneath that standard or if the opportunity doesn't fit who I am authentically at my core - I don't invest time where my brand isn't respected or where what I have to offer isn't appreciated.

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

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.

God is not preparing the Blessing for YOU, He is preparing YOU for the Blessing

When you begin to realize that your past does not necessarily dictate the outcome of your future, then you can release the hurt. It is impossible to inhale new air until you exhale the old.

Your words will tell others what you think. Your actions will tell them what you believe.

Real value isn’t in what you own, drive, wear or live. The greater value is found in love and life, health and strength, friends and family!

Not everyone will be happy when you begin to better yourself. Those who are for you will not just celebrate in your triumphs, but they will also pray with you through your tribulations.

A lot of can't deal with life because they lack the patience to become who they want to be.... Everything happens by process. If you don't go through the process to get it, you don't have the power to keep it.

Stress and worry is a residual of relying on yourself and being your own god, in control of everything. Worship allows us to rely on God's power to steer us through life.

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.

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.

God has invested entirely too much in you for you to be comfortable in anything less than you were created to be.

If you can't figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.

If you dont like the way your life is going, redesign it. Redeem the years you lost. Restore your vision, revive your passion for living, and reclaim what was dormant inside of you. I cannot give you the dream but I can give you the tools to reach the dreams you have inside.

Don't get stuck on small. Don't stop dreaming, reaching and enhancing what you have.

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.

My mother would take the Band-Aid off, clean the wound, and say, "Things that are covered don't heal well." Mother was right. Things that are covered do not heal well.

Timing is so important! If you are going to be successful in dance, you must be able to respond to rhythm and timing. It's the same in the Spirit. People who don't understand God's timing can become spiritually spastic, trying to make the right things happen at the wrong time. They don't get His rhythm - and everyone can tell they are out of step. They birth things prematurely, threatening the very lives of their God-given dreams.

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!

Don't allow your past or present condition to control you. It's just a process that you're going through to get you to the next level.

The lifting up of the woman does not require the tearing down of the man. In fact, a strong woman appreciates a strong man. Conversely, a strong man is not intimidated by a strong woman.

God's grace and mercy have brought you through. Quit acting as if you made it on your own.

You cannot embrace your destiny if you do not let go of your history.

God is a businessman. He is not going to do business with someone who shows no sign of potential return. He invests in people who demonstrate an ability to handle what He has given them.

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

I believe it is our attitude that determines our altitude. It is our attitude that allows us to soar above those things that would otherwise overcome us.

Some of the best people with whom you can have a relationship are the people who challenge your thinking.

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.

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.

Ignorance is brought about by assumption.

You don't know how much you've grown- until trouble comes back for an encore.

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

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

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

There is no room for God in a mind that's full of self.

You can't be who you are going to be and who you used to be at the same time.

I wasn't trying to be rich or famous; I was trying to figure out what is this thing in me that won't let me sleep that makes me restless and makes me keep pushing. I was trying to discover who I was.

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.

God will give you anything as long as you understand that he is the primary and not the secondary.

You cannot change what you will not confront.

To those of us who often procrastinate on the decision we feel intimidated by lack of education or any area of weakness. I relieve you with this statement: It is not how much you know that arms you with the tools of great decision making, but rather how much you ask. Ask questions.

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.

It is important to remember that for every person, there will be a problem. Even more importantly, for every problem, our God has a prescription!

Eagles fly where lesser birds cannot fly, so eagles can do what lesser birds cannot do.

If you have achieved any level of success, then pour it into someone else. Success is not success without a successor.

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.

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

There’s something you learn from helping other people with their dreams that prepares you for your own.

Isn't it funny how something that will later be a blessing can be a curse if you get it too soon.

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.

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.

You don't have to be in church service to worship, you can be in your own home. You enhance your spirituality, through the instrument of worship, when you really connect with the invisible, almighty God.

The most dangerous thing in the world is to have no purpose.

I would tell your generation, wherever you are on the totem poll - whether you're halfway there or at the bottom, don't despise small beginnings; small beginnings get you ready for great things.

Being angry is human. Staying angry is foolish.

You shouldn't shoot at every opportunity that passes by.

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.