TD Jakes - How to Change Your Mindset
You have a self-defeating belief system. Write that down: a self-defeating belief system. We are not so much talking about fighting the Jebusites as we are fighting the self-defeating belief system that’s stopping you from moving into your destiny. This belief system will kill your marriage, ruin your ministry, destroy your relationships, cost you your job, and take away your promotions. A self-defeating belief system is what you ought to be fighting against. Instead, most of the time, we’re fighting with flesh and blood when, in reality, it is your mindset that has to change for the move to take place.
Here’s a good note for you: anybody who is fighting you is fighting their own mindset but finds it easier to attack you than to confront their own self-defeating mindset. Self-sabotage is killing us. You think you’re fighting a demon; you’re not fighting a demon. Satan doesn’t have to send a demon to fight you if you have a self-defeating mindset. A propensity to be self-destruct has been planted in your background to bring forth fruit right when you’re at the edge of coming into your purpose. But they underestimated David because David was determined.
I need a thousand determined people to jump up and holler: I wouldn’t have come to church if I wasn’t ready to fight! I wouldn’t have come to church if I wasn’t determined! I didn’t get up this morning because it was easy. I didn’t get up this morning and get dressed because I felt like getting dressed. I got up and got dressed because I’m determined. I can’t feed off of where I work; I can’t feed off of my neighbors. I had to get some food for the fight that’s necessary for me to possess what God is about to give you in your life. It is going to require another kind of weapon than what you used before. What brought you here will not take you there. This is another kind of battle.
Joab broke through a tunnel that led to a spring and opened the gates to the citadel. Ancient Babylon was also built up as a seemingly invincible stronghold, but it came down. Jeremiah 51:53 says, «Even if Babylon reaches the sky, even if it reaches the sky and fortifies her lofty stronghold, I will send destroyers against her,» declares the Lord. God said, «I don’t care how high the wall is built in your life. I will send destroyers to bring that thing down. Give me all the power you’ve got! I don’t care how long it’s been around. I don’t care how much damage it’s done. I don’t care how embarrassing it’s been. God said, 'I will bring that thing down in the high places and the hot places.' God said, 'I will bring them down.'»
Look at somebody who looks like they have some faith and tell them, «Something’s going to happen in here this morning.» God used Cyrus and the Persians, who weren’t even believers, to overthrow Babylon. God will take somebody who’s not even in your belief system, who doesn’t even believe like you believe, and use them as a weapon to defeat the thing that’s trying to defeat you. You may not get it from your relatives; you may not get it from your members; you may not get it from your church friends; you may not get it from your prayer partner, but God is determined to bring that thing down! Somebody said, «It’s got to come down!»
Now I want you to see this: In the Old Testament, David defeated the Jebusites by climbing up through the waterways. He went up through the waterways, and they couldn’t see him because they were big gutters—big tunnels for irrigation. Because the Jebusites were up so high, there was no water up there, so they built a system to irrigate what they thought was their land. David used what they built against them. Wait a minute, that sounds familiar! Did not David use Goliath’s sword to cut off his own head? David knew how to turn the weapons of his enemy against him to bring about the victory. I feel a Holy Ghost breakthrough about to hit this place today. A breakthrough is about to happen in this place today! I mean something that has set up a high place in your life for a long time.
God is about to bring that thing down. In the Old Testament, David defeated the stronghold by going up, but we’re not in the Old Testament; we’re in the New Testament. In the New Testament, you defeat the stronghold not by going up, but by pulling it down! Shout it: Pull it down! Shout it again: Pull it down! Oh, do you hear me?
2 Corinthians 10:3–5 says, «The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds.» Look the devil in the face and tell him, «I’m going to pull it down! If it takes all night, I’m gonna pull it down! If I gotta talk in tongues, I’m gonna pull it down! If I gotta walk the floor at three o’clock in the morning, I’m gonna pull it down! I didn’t fight everything I fought to get here and let you reign over me! The devil is alive! Whatever it takes to pull down the stronghold in my life, I’m gonna pull it down! I’m gonna pull it down for my daughter! I’m gonna pull it down for my son! I’m gonna pull it down for my grandchildren! I’m gonna pull it down before I die!»
I’m gonna—what? Before I die, I’m gonna—what? Before I go forward, I’m going to—what? Before I move in, I’m going to—what? Shout it like you mean it! Shout it like you mean it! Sound like you’re tired of it! Shout it like you want to fight about it! Shout it like you’ve made up your mind! Shout it like you ain’t scared! Sound like you’re ready to fight! Roll up your sleeves, take off your earrings, and pull off your wig! Whatever you got to do, whatever you got to do, whatever you gotta do, give him 30 seconds of crazy praise! 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14… Don’t stop! 13, 12… Come on! Eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!
I feel the victory about to break loose in this place! I feel a yoke about to break in this place! I feel a door about to open in this place! If you’ve got the Holy Ghost at all, give your God a place! Praise Him till you pull it down! Praise Him till you break it down! Praise Him till you tear it down! Pull it down, mama! Pull it down, sister! Pull it down, preacher! Pull it down, brother! Pull it down, sister! Pull it down! Take it from God; pull it down! It’s coming down! Wait a minute—the Holy Ghost said this is a war dance! I want everybody who’s going to war to give God a war dance right now: for your daughter, for your finances, for your future, for your destiny, for your prophecy! This means war! This means war! This means war! This means I’m gonna fight till I pull it!
Oh, you ain’t ready to fight! You’re standing there looking cute! If you got a devil to fight, you better do what I said and go into a war dance and command that if you don’t do nothing but squall, scream, and pull it down! It’s coming down! It’s coming down! It’s coming down! It’s coming down! Today is the last day of mental health month. The text I just quoted is a mental health text. It’s about a mindset! The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, so put your slingshot up! But mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds—watch this! Casting down imaginations, the things you imagine to be true. It’s gonna cast out imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God! It may be high, but it’s coming down! It may have been around for years, but it’s coming down! It may set up a stronghold, but it’s coming down!
Shout yes! Sound yes! Somebody praise Him! Anybody praise Him! Somebody praise Him! Is there anybody in the Potter’s House that’s bold enough and bad enough and strong enough to give my God some praise? Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m sweating! The reason I’m sweating is 'cause I’m tight, and you would expect me to be in a fight and not break a sweat! But when I get through sweating, I’m gonna go back to dancing 'cause I’m about to take new territory! Somebody shout yes!
As I close, Michael Lasso, I’m in the process of selling off a piece of property, and we’re getting ready to shift the name on the deed. I can’t allow the deed to remain the same and shift the territory, so my last point is: Shift the territory! If you’re gonna shift the territory, you gotta change the name! Abram was called Abram until God shifted the territory and said, «If I’m gonna shift your territory, I’m gonna change your name from Abram to Abraham, from Sarai to Sarah.» Anytime there’s a shift, you gotta rename. Change the name of what you used to call depression. Change the name of what you used to call fear. Change the name of what you used to call failure into triumph. It’s time to change the name! God is about to shift the name of the deed!
And the last thing the Lord said, He’s going to give you houses that you didn’t build and vineyards that you didn’t even grow. All my life, whenever I went to Jerusalem, I thought the Jews had built the underground irrigation systems that go to Jerusalem. They didn’t build it; the Jebusites did! But they got the benefit of what the Jebusites built. Whoever I’m preaching to: you didn’t build it, but you will reap the benefits of what somebody else built. They didn’t know that they were building it for you! Slap somebody and tell them, «It’s mine! I didn’t build it, but it’s mine! I didn’t make the brick, but it’s mine! I didn’t dig the tunnel, but it’s mine! I didn’t go through the pain, but it’s mine!» Because God is about to shift the territory!