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TD Jakes - Discovery


TD Jakes - Discovery

In law, there's a term called "discovery," and the definition is this is the formal process of exchange of information between the parties about the witness and evidence that is submitted that they'll present at trial. Discovery means not only you have to collect the information, but share the information. Discovery enables the parties to know before the trial begins what evidence may be presented. One of the most common methods of discovery is to take depositions. And so what we are seeing here is Jacob is in a state of discovery. He doesn't know who he is. He doesn't know who God is. He doesn't know what's going on in his life. He doesn't know where he is. He is living on the run.

You'd be shocked at the people in this room that are living on the run, working yourself to death because you're living on the run, going through all kinds of changes 'cause you're living on the run. You don't want to take off. You don't want a vacation. You don't want peace. You don't want to have a good time because you're addicted to running. You've been running all your life. People think you're running toward a goal, but it's not what you're running to, it's what you runnin' from. Esau is chasing you. Your past is chasing you. Your God is chasing you. Your past deeds are chasing you and you're exhausted from the run.

If I were to break this message down into themes, I would talk about the struggle, I would talk about the strategy, I would talk about the serendipity, I would talk about the sovereignty of God, and I would talk about self discovery. I'm gonna say that again 'cause I want you to get it. I would talk about the struggle, which I just did. I would talk about the strategy, which I'm about to do. I would talk about the serendipity, which I'll get to in a minute. I'd talk about the sovereignty of God, and I would talk about self discovery. Life is full of struggle, strategy, serendipity, sovereignty, and self discovery. Struggle, strategy, serendipity, sovereignty, and self discovery. Jacob is in a state of struggle and he does not realize that while he is struggling, God has a strategy.

I said, while he is struggling, God has a strategy. While he's on the run, God has a strategy. I got news for those of you that are watching me online. You're in a struggle, but God has a strategy. You're in the hospital, but God has a strategy. You lost your job, but God has a strategy. Your husband walked off, but God has a strategy. Your wife left you, but God has a strategy. You're pregnant out of wedlock, but God has a strategy. You had to give up your house, but God has a strategy. And if you can't praise him for the struggle, you ought to praise him for the strategy. Your God is a strategic God. Can I take my time this morning? Your God is a strategic God. He doesn't react, he acts. His Word is forever settled in heaven. He has determined the end from the beginning. He worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. All things work together for the good of them that love the Lord. God has a strategy for your life.

Do you hear what I'm saying? God has a strategy for your life. And if you're not happy, you're not happy because you're not in the strategy. As soon as you line yourself up with God's strategy and get away from your struggle. You're so focused on your struggle that you haven't asked God for his strategy. But somebody oughta throw your hands up and say, "God, give me the strategy". Give me the strategy to raise this child. Give me the strategy to save this marriage. Give me the strategy to open up my business. Give me the strategy to come out of debt. Give me the strategy to live the abundant life. There is a strategy. If Rockefeller could do it, if the Hunts can do it, if Oprah Winfrey could do it, if Tyler Perry could do it, if anybody else can do it, there's gotta be a strategy. You're not a respecter of persons. If you did it for anybody, you'll do it for me. Give me the strategy.

Oh, I'm helping somebody. There is a strategy that will break every chain in your life, that will break every struggle in your life, that will break every pain in your life. God has a strategy for your life. God is strategic. He has a plan for everything. When he created the earth, he had a plan. He knew what he was gonna do the first day. He knew what he was gonna do the second day. He knew what he was gonna do the third day. He knew what he was gonna do the fourth day. God has a strategy and he worked it according to his strategy. Give me the strategy for being 40. Give me the strategy for in my 50s. Give me the strategy for my 60s. Don't let me be 60 tryin' to be 30. Don't let me be 50 tryin' to be 20. Give me this day my daily bread. Give me the strategy for where I am right now.

I'm trying to help somebody. I don't even know who it is. There is a strategy for where you are. There is a strategy. There is a strategy for what you're going through. There is a strategy for this stage in your life. There is a strategy. The reason you can't get the strategy is because you're too stubborn to admit where you are, and you're 60 tryin' to be 20. Give me the strategy for where I am so that I could be the baddest 60-year-old you ever saw in your life; so that I can be the baddest 30-year-old you ever saw in your life. I want to be smart at 20. I want to be wise at 15. Give me the strategy. God is a strategist. He made kings out of eight-year-olds. God don't care nothin' about your birthday. God cares about your wise day. Give me the strategy that's necessary.

God created the earth through his wisdom, the manifold wisdom of God. Wisdom will solve every problem in your life. Wisdom will fix every situation. If you would shut your mouth and wait on God to speak through you rather than speaking out of your flesh, and speaking out of what Rebecca taught you, and wait on the Lord, God will change your situation. Half the trouble you're in, your mouth got you in. If you shut your mouth, you could change your outcome. And that's why the Bible said, "Be still and know that I am God".

Oh, I feel like preaching here. Be still and know that I am God. You talk too much. You fuss too much. You tell too much. You trust too much. Sometimes you just gotta shut up, and hold your peace, and let God fight your battles. Why should God fight for you when you're fighting for yourself? But I dare you to stand still and say, "I'm a child of God," and watch God come to your rescue. He'll send angels running up and down the ladder to get you a breakthrough if you'll just be still. God'll to give you the land that you lie on if you'll just be still. If you just trust him for strategy, throw your hands up and say, "God, I want your strategy".

God has a strategy. Grace has serendipity. Serendipity is the thing you stumble into. You stumble into it. You didn't even know you were goin' into it. You just stumble into grace. God gives you grace to deal with something you thought you couldn't handle. You just find grace. Oh, I'm preaching to somebody. The Bible said Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He didn't plan for it. He wasn't looking for it. He just stumbled upon it. Oh, do you hear what I'm sayin'? Jacob wasn't lookin' for this rock, he just stumbled upon it. Grace has serendipity. How many people have happened to be in the right place at the right time and you stumbled up on something that changed your life? I wish I had a witness. Maybe I got somebody online.

I don't seem to have nobody at church, but maybe there's somebody online that God just let you stumble up on a grace, and now you're standing things you thought you couldn't stand, doing things you never went to school for, doing things that you've never been trained for. But grace is serendipitous. You just struggled into it. You didn't even know you could do that. You didn't even know you could function like that. You didn't even know you could stand that, but grace has a serendipity. Grace has a serendipity because God is sovereign. So what you stumbled into, God already strategized. I want you to see this. What you stumbled into, God already strategized. He has determined the end from the beginning. Nothing just happens in your life.

When Ruth stumbled up on Boaz's field, it was her serendipity, but it was God's strategy. He knew exactly where she was. Job says, "The Lord knows the way that I take, and when he has tried me, I shall come forth as pure gold". I don't know who I'm prophesying to, but you're about to stumble into something that's gonna change your entire life. You're just going to stumble into it. It's just going to come knocking on your door like Elijah and ask you to bake a cake. You're just gonna be at the right water fountain. You're just gonna be at the right restaurant and meet somebody that changes the trajectory of your life.

That's why the devil is trying to move you out of your place, 'cause the devil knows that God has a strategy. And if you just trust God by serendipity, you're gonna step into the strategy of God. And once you step into the strategy of God, demons have to back up. Witches have to back up. Trouble has to back up. Storms have to back up. 'Cause once you get in the strategy of God, you have gotten into the presence of a God who's got angels on the run, bringing blessings from every direction. Glory to God. Somebody turn around in a circle right there. Everywhere you look, you've got an angel. Everywhere you look, to the north, to the south, to the east, to the west, the Bible said, "The angels of the Lord encamp about them that fear him". And Jacob didn't even know it, but he was laying with angels.

Jacob has left his home. He's left his family. He's left his livestock. He's left his inheritance. He tricked Esau to get an inheritance that he had to run from. And now he's in the desert, fleeing for his life. And there, out there of all places, he discovers God. The discovery of God, not church. You have discovered church, but I am here to help you discover God. Glory to God. If you discover God, when the service is over in the building, it'll get in the car. When the service is over in the building, it'll get in your house. When this service is over in the building, it'll get in your life. If you discover God, the prison isn't strong enough to keep God out. If you discover God, he'll slip through the bars.

Ask Paul and Silas. He'll come in at midnight. If you discover God, God will bring you through all kinds of stuff. Jacob has discovered God. Up until then, he's just heard about it from his daddy and from his grandfather, but he has not had a personal experience with God. You can't know God through your mama. You gotta know God for yourself. You can't know God through your daddy. You got to know God for yourself. You can't know God through your church. You gotta know God for yourself. There are people that are more loyal to their denomination than they are to God himself. You would never leave your denomination, but you cheat on God all the time.

Jacob has discovered God. At the worst moment in his life, he discovers God. At the worst moment in his life, in the middle of a wilderness, a place of barrenness, a place of dryness, a place of emptiness, a place of sweat, a place of desperation, a place where little grows, in the wilderness, Jacob discovers God. And he's had such a struggle. He's had such a struggle that when he discovers God, he steps into the, what I call, the social order of heaven. The theologians call it angelology. He comes into the social order of heaven. Nothing is moving in the wilderness, but everything is moving in the social order of heaven. He has to go to sleep to see it, but he sees angels ascending and descending on the ladder. And yet he's laying in a place where nothing is moving.

Are you laying in a place where nothing is moving? You need to step into the spirit because something is moving in the spirit. Something is moving in the spirit realm. Something is changing in the spirit realm. Something is working in the spirit realm. And notice they were ascending and descending. In order to ascend, they had to be on the ground before they came up. That means that when he laid down, he was laying with angels. Glory to God. He was laying with angels. He was laying with angels, but April, the problem was he didn't know it. God was there and he knew it not.

How many people in this room have the sensitivity of knowing that God is there? How many people who are in the hospital know that God is there? How many people who are going to the funeral home to work with the funeral home understand that God is there? How many people who are going through a hard time are not cognizant of the fact that God is there? You see, God cannot be explained. He must be revealed. Moses told God, "Show me your goodness". Show me. I need to see you. Show me your goodness. Manifest your omnipresence. I know you're present because you're omnipotent. You're all places at all times simultaneously, both past present and future. But I need a manifestation of the presence of God. I need to discover you until you become more real in my life.

You need to be more real in my life than my church is. You need to be... Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm gonna drive it. I'm gonna drive it. I'm gonna drive it. I'm gonna drive it 'til my car is sitting on your lap. You need to be more real in my life than my bishop is. You need to be more real in my life than my family is. You need to be more real in my life than my problem is. See, you have not discovered God. You're discovering church. And you go a while, and you leave a while, and you're here a while, and you'll walk away for a while, but if you discovered God, you would be stable. God is stable. God is steadfast. God is unchanging. God is immutable. God is eternal. God is everlasting. God is God.

Before there was a where, or a when, or a this, or a that, God was God. Nobody made him God. Nobody elected him God. Nobody appointed him God. He was God before there was anybody there to tell him he was God. He doesn't need your praise to know who he is. He said, "I looked for one greater than myself, and finding no one greater than myself, I swear by myself that surely blessings I will bless thee and multiplying I will multiply thee". When I say God is strategic, I mean he is providential. In his providence, he has already created your entire life while you are yet to discover it. Did you hear what I said?

I know you heard me. I don't know if the rest of them heard me. God has already created your entire life while you are waiting to discover it. When your mama rocked you in her arms and nursed you on her breast, God saw you as an old woman, as a young woman, as a middle-aged woman. God had determined the end from the beginning. He gave you enough grace. He gave you enough strength. He gave you enough wind. He gave you enough power. He gave you enough mind to carry you the entire journey. You don't just have grace for the moment, you have grace for the future. God, Lord, I wish I had a church this morning.

Somebody holler, "Grace in the desert". It doesn't matter that you're in the desert, God will give you grace in the desert. You can be in a dry place, but God is there. He brought water out of a rock in the middle of a desert. He showed himself strong in the middle of a desert. He healed people of diseases in the middle of the desert. He turned the bitter waters of Marah sweet in the middle of a desert. God doesn't need a wet place to be God. He can have you in a dry place and still be God. Your life is based on your conditions. And when your conditions are right, you say God is there. But when your conditions are all wrong, God is still there. No money in your pocket, but God is still there. No job to go to in the morning, but God is still there.

Nobody to hold you at night, but God is still there. Nobody to tell you they love you, but God is still there. Nobody seems to appreciate you, but God is still there. God has grace in the desert. If you're in the desert and you've discovered God, make some noise right now. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, praise him with your single self. Praise him with your alone self. Praise him with no money in your pocket. God is a God of the desert. God walks in dry places. He moves in hard times. He works in the middle of a struggle. I wish I had about a hundred witnesses that have been going through a desert and yet God has been with you. I wish you'd stop acting like them other people that ain't been through nothing and start givin' God the praise for not leaving you alone. God will not leave you in a dry place. He'll be right there with ya. Ask Hagar.

God'll speak to you in the desert. He'll show your water in the desert. He'll supply your needs in the desert. He'll lift your emotions in the desert. He'll give you counseling in the desert. He'll give you strength in the desert. He'll give you help in the desert. He'll feed ya food in the desert. He'll bring ya through in the desert. Somebody help me praise him. Is there anybody in the balcony that'll help me praise God? God of your dry place. God of your painful place. God of your hurting place. God of your lonely place. I need the sacrifice of praise. The devil don't want you to praise God because all you can see is your desert, but God is about to give you a discovery that God is in the middle of your desert. And I dare you to open your mouth. I don't care nothin' about that mask and God don't either. Open your mouth and give God the...
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