TD Jakes - Decisions and Consequences (02/04/2024)
In the parable of the prodigal son, unlike the lost sheep or coin, the younger son chooses to leave and waste his inheritance, showing that many troubles come from our own impatient decisions, not demonic attacks. The elder brother, by making no decisions at all, ends up bitter and resentful, proving that passivity is also a choice with heavy consequences.
The reason I am in this text is that when it comes to the story of the lost son, the entirety of this story of the younger son who says, "Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me," he is distinctly different from the coin or the sheep. The sheep did not ask to be lost. The coin did not say, "Please drop me." But it is, in fact, the uniqueness of the son's decision.
It is his decision that brought about the consequence on himself, on his father, and on his brother. And so my subject, my assignment is to talk to you about decisions and consequences. And the Lord has given us a text that though it is often used metaphorically as if the father were God, that really is subjective.
No Deities or Demons in the Story
The truth of the matter is there is neither deity nor demon in the entire text. There is no devil in this entire text. No demonic warfare in this entire text. There is not even a witch. There is neither demon, but there is also no miracle. There is no parting of the water in this text. There is no water turned to wine in this text. There is no arm being lifted in this text.
This text is absent of deities or demons. It is purely decisions and consequences. And I want to talk to you about it today, because somebody has bewitched you into thinking that you are under satanic attack; but most of you are not under satanic attack.
Blaming the Devil for Self-Inflicted Wounds
Could it be possible that your story too is absent of demons or deities because sometimes the greatest illusion possible is to blame a devil for what you did to yourself. No demon comes into this room like the Garden of Eden and seduces this boy out of the house. It was his decision. "Hey, Daddy. Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me."
His decision is driven. All decisions are driven by something. Decisions are like vehicles: they do not drive themselves. Our decisions are driven by something. If you find out what is driving your decision, you can stop the destination.
The Younger Son's Impatience
This boy's decision is driven by impatience. And the Bible takes time to point out that it is the younger son. And one of the things that is associated with youth is impatience, underestimating how long it takes to get to a destination. You want everything and you want it now.
And I want to tell you that sometimes things just take time. That if you allow impatience to push you too fast into a marriage or a career or a move or a shift, decisions have consequences. If you allow impatience to push you into opening a church or starting a mission or having a baby.
Getting Blessings Too Soon
He is so fine, I just... What is driving? He is going to be gone and you are going to still have that baby to raise; and babies do not stay babies. They are only babies for a few minutes; and then they rise up and steal the car and cuss you out. Are you ready?
As many times as I have looked at this story, I realized that this whole story is about decisions and consequences; that he got something too early that he would have gotten later. And it taught me: Lord, do not give me anything too soon. Do not let my blessings get bigger than me.
Prepared Blessings for Unprepared People
Do not give me anything that I am not ready for. You know when to give me this and You know when to give me that and give me the patience to stand the process that it takes so that I grow big enough to support the full weight of glory that eyes have not seen and ears have not heard.
This is a story about a prepared blessing for an unprepared son. And the truth of the matter is, you have not learned how to take care of a woman if you do not take care of yourself. You are not ready to raise a baby because you are still too irresponsible and inconsistent; and you have not found yourself.
Wasting What Comes Too Early
And the baby is going to want to know, "Who am I, mama?" And mama does not know who she is. And when a lost mama does not know who she is, she is going to have a lost baby who does not know who he is. Most parents do a better job with their later kids than they do their first ones because it takes a little tweaking to figure out how this works.
"Give me the portion of goods that falleth unto me. And he divided unto them his living. And he went and spent it all in riotous living." Why did he do that? Because he was not ready for it. Anytime you get something too soon, you waste it.
Reaping the Harvest of Bad Decisions
You use it to get other people to believe in you because you have not outgrown your need for validation. And if you would have waited until you matured a little bit, you would not have used your father's livelihood to attract people who would not stay with you.
And the Bible said, "When he had spent all." The famine did not come until he was broke. Famines have a way of waiting until you are down to nothing. "And when he had spent all, a famine arose." And he who left with everything began to be in want.
No Demons, Just Consequences
He is hungry. He is in trouble. He is wretched. The crowd is gone. The people have left. He has lost everything he had and it looks just like a demonic attack. It looks like somebody has bewitched him. It feels like all hell has broken loose in his life but the reality is there is no need in him bucking devils and pleading the blood.
He is reaping harvest on bad decisions. And you cannot overcome this until you admit this. I did this to myself. I am hungry because of me. It was not the demon, it was not the sorcerer, it was not the witch, it was not Satan. I did this, I walked out, I left them.
Coming to Yourself in the Hog Pen
There in the hog pen, when the Bible said, "He would fain have filled his belly with that which the swine did eat," you hang around something that your lust changed. Yeah, because stuff is contagious. If you hang around it enough, you will catch it.
And there in the hog pen, there is no voice from heaven, no mighty rushing wind, no cloven tongues of fire. There is no flapping of angels' wings. There is neither Michael nor Gabriel coming to his rescue.
The Power of Coming to Yourself
No apostle stepping to the hog pens, no prophets down through the age send words nor messages to address his ill; but all by himself, he came to himself and said, "Wait a minute, I am better than this. I am better than this."
He came to himself; and this is the most liberating moment in the whole story. This is what sets him apart from the coin and the sheep. The coin could not come to itself. The sheep could not rescue itself; but the son could come.
The Elder Brother's Silence and Frustration
When you are a son, you can always come closer. Slap somebody and tell them, "I came to myself. I am better than this." If bad decisions got you in, good decisions can get you out. It is the power of decisions.
I want to switch and talk about the elder brother because he is interesting. He starts out in the story as a star because while the younger brother said, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me, the elder brother did not say anything.
Passivity as a Decision
While the younger brother was on his way back home, the elder brother did not say anything. It was only when he heard the party. His silence makes me want to talk about him just a minute because he has no dialogue in the entire story until the end.
When he opens his mouth and clears his throat to speak, what comes out of him is utter, total and complete frustration. "I have been with you all of these years. I served and I worked like a dog."
Bitterness from Making No Choices
You expect me to go in and celebrate that scallywag of a child you have over-indulged all of his life. You always liked him better than me. Look what you gave him; and you never gave me nothing.
While his younger son made bad decisions, his eldest son made none. These are the people who are passive in their own life. You never went too far from home. You never took a chance or a risk.
The Decision Not to Decide
You are where you are, not because of bad decisions. You make no decisions at all. Whatever happens, happens. The decision not to make a decision is still a decision. You decided not to decide.
You are stuck because you chose to be stuck; and you will never get well as long as you blame your brother and you will never get well as long as you blame your sister.
Your Deliverance Is Up to You
Every morning you sucked air in your lungs, you started out at the same spot and I gave you a chance every day of your life to be somebody and you chose the road you took. Even if it was no choice at all, that is still a decision.
You are not a lost coin, so I do not have to pick you up. And you are not a lost sheep, so I do not have to find you. Your deliverance is up to you.