TD Jakes - Embracing Our Identity as Children of the King
Never let your circumstances diminish who you are. I’m going to say it again: never let your circumstances diminish who you are. Don’t let people diminish who you are; don’t let their reactions diminish who you are. When you know who you are, you can be in ragged clothes and still be mighty. You can have little shoulders and stand up to a lot of weight. This is what I want you to remember: you can be living in a barn and still be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Don’t let your circumstances diminish who you are. Are you with me?
Number two: true greatness doesn’t have to be exalted. True greatness doesn’t have to make a name for itself. It doesn’t have to pass out business cards, impress people, or ride around in a Rolls-Royce. It doesn’t need a fleet of people walking behind it to be great. When you’re truly great, you don’t worry about where folks seat you in the church, because you know who you are—whether you’re in the front seat or the back seat. I still know who I am. Whether you drive or I drive, I still know who I am. Whether I’m riding in a truck or coming in on a donkey, I know who I am. Hallelujah!
Last thing I told my baby boy when I sent him to college: don’t forget who you are. People will talk about what you do, but don’t forget who you are. True greatness doesn’t have to be exalted; it doesn’t have to make a name for itself; it doesn’t have to prove itself; it doesn’t have to impress people. It doesn’t have to showboat or show off; it just is what it is.
Somebody came around my house and said, «Oh my God, what do you have on?» I had on this little raggedy outfit that didn’t match: blue socks, green shoes, purple pants, orange T-shirt. Sometimes I break it down as low as I can so I can just chill out. But even while looking like a spaceman from outer space, I think I look pretty good this morning. My anointing is not in my jacket; my anointing is in me. I can give you my jacket, but I can’t give you my anointing. The anointing I have is God all by Himself. They tried to make Jesus king, and He ran away because you can’t make me what I already am. True greatness doesn’t have to be exhausted.
Number three: get this—this is so good! What God has for you will come to you. You don’t see the baby seeking the wise men; you see the wise men seeking Jesus. The baby didn’t travel; the blessing did. Slap somebody and tell them your blessing is on the way! Yeah, yeah, yeah! It’s been traveling and traveling, trying to find you. If you study it out, Herod thought he should get the blessing, but when God has something for you, nobody can take it—no impostor, no hater, no procrastinator, no antagonizer. What God has for you, I don’t care if you’re in a shelter—it will come to you. That’s how you recognize it. God knows your address; God knows your name; God knows how to get it to you.
Number four: darkness cannot comprehend light. The Light of the World was born at night, and the darkness comprehended it not. Jesus knew that He was the Light of the World, and He didn’t need natural light to have divine light. Are you hearing what I’m saying? You can be surrounded by darkness, but you know who you are. I wish I had an old-time church. I got a new-time church, but I wish I had an old-time church that I could go to work with witches. I wish I had some people working in hellish situations, but you go in the office and you know who you are. You’ve got a little bottle of oil in your purse; plead the blood, claim your space, speak in tongues. You know who you are! I wish I had some old-school folks who, when all hell broke loose, would drop down on their knees and start pleading the blood, saying, «Wait a minute, God gave me this house!» The devil is a liar; you can’t take my stuff!
Darkness cannot comprehend light. And my all-time favorite: every catastrophe is an opportunity if you handle it right. Every catastrophe is an opportunity if you handle it right. You don’t have to pray about the opportunity; the opportunity is in the catastrophe. The thing you have to pray about is, «How do I handle it?» Show me how to handle it! Instead of falling down and fainting, saying, «I don’t deserve this; I don’t understand this; it doesn’t make sense; it’s not fair!» If God allowed it to come, it’s an opportunity. You know why? Romans 8:28: all things work together for good.
Can I go a little deeper? I’m almost done. Jesus was born into a catastrophe. He was on the hit list of Herod—born without doing anything wrong. How could He have done something? He just got here! He was born on the hit list; Herod sought to kill Him. But God protected Him. Either you’re going to believe God or you’re not. I’m not asking you to believe me; I’m not asking you to believe in our church; I’m asking you to believe in God. If you believe in God, God will protect you. Not from people’s opinions—people are going to think whatever they want to think. Let them think! You can’t spend your life trying to change people’s minds. You’ve got to know Herod was after Jesus because Jesus was a threat. Jesus was a threat!
They started bringing the gold that Herod would have given to Jesus, so Herod tried to kill Him to protect his kingdom. It was a plot, and Jesus was born into it. Some of you were born into a mess; you didn’t grow up on the right side of the tracks—your family was dysfunctional. Some of you landed a job without a degree, and you got a promotion while other people are going down, and they’re hating on you. There’s no need to try to change their minds about it. If God decides to bring the camels over, He just brought the camels over! Somebody bear witness in here. Some of you have a degree, but it’s not even in the area that you’re working in. Yet God put you in a whole different area, raised you up, and blessed you! If I’m talking about you, holler at your boy right now!