TD Jakes - Using My Imperfections to Build The Kingdom of God
God found Moses on the backside of the desert and said, «They call you a convict and an outlaw, but I have a plan for your life.» He tells him, «I am the God of Jacob; I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So don’t run off, you convict, you fleshly prophet, who tries to enact God’s will in your own way and ends up an outlaw on the run because you thought you could do it without Me. I am the God of your mistakes, not just your miracles. I am the God of your mess, not just your message. Take off your shoes, for the ground you stand on is holy ground.»
Then there is a conversation in shoes where God allows the man who is practicing leadership; now he starts practicing miracles. God takes his rod, something that is very ordinary, and does extraordinary things with it to let Moses know that you don’t have to be an extraordinary man to do extraordinary things. If you’re watching this broadcast, you want to write that down: You don’t have to be an extraordinary man to do extraordinary things, because you have an extraordinary God.
So, God does all these extraordinary things with Moses’ rod to let him know that it’s not by might nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the Lord. He wants him to understand that I can use something natural and do something supernatural; that I can use something ordinary and do something extraordinary; that I can use your frailty and your flaws. Moses is having trouble understanding that he performs the miracles; he thrusts his hand into his bosom, and it comes out white as snow. He thrusts it in again, and it is clean. He turns the water into blood. He throws down his stick, and it turns into a serpent. He picks it up by the tail, and it turns back into a staff again.
Suddenly, this starts working—walking with the rod—but he calls it the rod of the Lord. It was really Moses’ rod, but it was the Lord’s. It was Moses’ rod, but it was the Lord’s rod. They shared this rod; God would put something in your hand, and it’ll be yours, but it is His, and as it is in your hands, God will make you a steward over something very amazing. I don’t know who this is for, but God’s going to put the ability to make great wealth in your hands. It’s going to come from a natural place, but it’s going to blow your mind. In fact, it’s already started to happen. You thought it was a stick, but it’s turning into something else.
Oh, yes, I see God putting blessings into your hands; I see God putting prosperity into your hands; I see God opening doors for you; I see God making ways for you. And you’re standing there feeling unworthy, and you’re right; you’re not worthy, but He is worthy. It’s His rod, but it’s your rod; it’s His rod, but it’s your rod. God is going to put it in your hand. It’s in your hand; it’s in your hand; it’s in your hand.
If that should have been enough to know I can do this—that God will do extraordinary things out of ordinary things, that God will do supernatural things out of natural things, that God can use me in spite of the fact that I’m a criminal and an outlaw—God can still use me. But because the root of insecurity was so deep, Moses is still talking to God. They talked for a long time. God told Moses what to say when he went down to tell Pharaoh this and that.
When God told Moses what to say, Moses came up with another excuse. He said, «I can’t go down there and talk because I felt like God didn’t know.» Then God said, «Did not I make your mouth?»
Listen, God and man are talking in a desert; God and man are talking through a burning bush; God and man are talking to you while you’re shut in. God is trying to get your attention. Now that I got your attention, I’m going to show you how I can use your better for My glory. Now that I’ve got your attention, I can show you that I’ve got a supernatural plan for a natural man’s life.
Now that I’ve got your attention, I want you to start thinking extraordinary thoughts. You’ve thought enough ordinary stuff; you’ve practiced with the ordinary long enough. I’m getting ready to do something extraordinary in your life. He’s standing in front of the bush, and the bush is burning, and as it burns, it’s burning out his fear, burning out his doubt, burning out his uncertainty, burning out his shame, burning out his insecurity.
What we need is for the fire to burn out all our excuses. All of your excuses that you make as to why you can’t do or be or say what God told you to do and be and say–the fire has come to burn out all your excuses. This is our burning bush, America. America, this is our burning bush. I know it’s affecting other countries and other places, but you’ve got to worry about you right now, America. This is our burning bush; our racism, elitism, and politicizing have gone as far as they can go.
This is our burning bush; God is after our attention. We cannot keep using power to destroy families, leaving people trapped at the border, separating families far from daughters and mothers from kids, and then saying we’re pro-life. You can’t just be pro-life in the womb and not be pro-life after birth. You can’t be pro-life and then before the death penalty; come on, America. We’ve got to look at ourselves; we’ve got to look at our stuff. We’ve got to look at the way we fellowship and the way we get quiet when other people are dying and in trouble, and we say that’s their problem and not our problem when it is our problem.
We’re wrong if we say that we are African Americans and Mexican Americans; we ought to all be Americans. But then, when we start dying, we all die like Americans. When we go to court, we all go to court like Americans.
America, this is our burning bush; this is our burning bush, and we have to take off our shoes and humble ourselves lest we die for the ground we stand on. It’s holy ground. God is after our attention because absolute power corrupts absolutely. We’re not a monarchy; just ‘cause you have an opinion doesn’t mean it controls me and diminishes me. Your mind—you’re not the benchmark standard of right.
We’ve got to take off our shoes. To take off your shoes in the desert is to be vulnerable, to be naked, to be exposed. That’s painful because the sand is hot. Sometimes truth is painful. This is our burning bush; we must take off our shoes until you love my children, and I love your children like they were my children. You love my children like they were your children. We must take off our shoes until we care about people who don’t look like us, no matter their color or age.
And this is not just about black and white because you can be white and be poor and still be overlooked and still be ignored. It’s about an attitude of arrogance and pride that we have, where you can buy justice if you have enough money. We must take off our shoes, America. We have shaken our fists in the face of God. We must take off our shoes, America. We have no respect for human life, not in the womb or out of the womb. We must take off our shoes, America, and stop throwing away babies like toilet paper.
We must take off our shoes, America. We must take off our shoes; we’re drunk on our own success and accomplishments. If we keep telling ourselves that we are exceptional while we lag behind in education, while we lag behind in the economy, while we lag behind in social services, while we lag behind in cyber technology, we keep telling ourselves we’re exceptional. Take off your shoes; take off your shoes; take off your shoes. If God wants to have a naked conversation with you—a conversation of covenant-keeping—He wants to get your attention. You want to know who He is?
He said, «I am that I am. I’m bread, I’m water, I’m life, I’m peace, I’m power, I’m judgment, I’m mercy, I’m grace, I’m forgiveness, I’m the solution, I’m the answer. I’m the stars; I’m the lily of the valley; I’m the bright morning star. I am the shield and the buckler. I am whatever I need to be to get your attention. I’ll be plagues; I’ll be wars; I’ll be earthquakes; I’ll be light, I’ll be thunder; I’ll be rain; I’ll be flood; I’ll be winds; I’ll be everything I have to be to get your attention. I’m God, no matter how many times you try to call me the universe. I’m God, no matter how many times you try to call me Mother Nature. I’m God, no matter how many times you try to dress it up in some ecumenical terminology. I’ll show you Who I am. I’m God, and you can’t write a check and get out of this. You can’t call a friend and get out of this, and you can’t jump on a private jet and get out of this because I’ll shut it all down. I’ll shut down every door and every way of escape. Don’t you remember the flood? When I get ready to get your attention, I can shut down everything and anything. I’m God, and the whole bush was on fire»
And Moses started confessing his limitations. «I’m flawed, Lord; I’m flawed. I want to do it, but I’m flawed. I want to do it now, but I’m scared. I don’t want to do that anymore because last time I messed up.» There’s somebody who had a bad experience, and you stopped living. You had a bad experience, and you stopped living, spending the rest of your life lamenting over the mistake you made. Moses made a mistake, but his life wasn’t over; his ministry wasn’t over, and God sent a burning bush to say, «I still have a plan for your life.»
There’s a preacher watching me right now; you went through a terrible scandal, and you feel like your life is over. I know you’re hurting, and I know you’re in pain, but God is not finished with you yet. God has a plan for your life. I know you’ve been embarrassed, and I know you’ve been ashamed, but God loves you. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and yes, I am the God of Jacob! Moses, take off your shoes. If I can be the God of Jacob, I can be your God too. If I can be the God of Jacob, I can be the God of a convict. If I can be the God of Jacob, I can be the God of a misfit. If I can be the God of Jacob, I can be the God of the mistakes you made. If I can be the God of Jacob, I can be your God.
Take off your shoes right now; yeah, I’m talking to you. Take off your shoes; you’re about to have an encounter with God. Take off your shoes; God is about to change your life. Take off your shoes; can’t you see? The ground you stand on is holy ground. I’m going to answer your questions. And God Almighty sat down and talked to Moses face to face—God Almighty talked to Moses face to face and talked to him about his fears, insecurities, doubts, limitations, uncertainty, and depression. He talked to him about giving up on life and giving up on his purpose and destiny. God Himself sat down and counseled Moses like a psychiatrist. God Himself sat down with Moses and reasoned with him like two lawyers in a courtroom.
He said to Moses face to face, «Moses, my mouth stutters.» God said, «Did not I make your mouth? Did not I make your tongue? Don’t you know that I know what’s wrong with you and yet I call you to speak? Don’t you know that My strength is made perfect in weakness? I call a stuttering man to speak to kings and princes because I knew you would be humbled. I knew you wouldn’t be arrogant like the rest of them. I knew you wouldn’t write books about what you did because you realized that had it not been for Me, you wouldn’t have been able to do anything. I know you would give Me the glory. Don’t you know that I know you had a baby out of wedlock? Don’t you know that I know that you’re HIV positive? Don’t you know that I know that you’ve made mistakes? Don’t you know that I know who you are? I know your secrets; I know your doubts, but I still love you.»