TD Jakes - Declassified
Well, I was in Ephesians last week, and you all seemed to really enjoy the Bible class. I enjoyed teaching it. I taught from Ephesians chapter two, but I’m going to backtrack a little to Ephesians chapter one and continue where I left off. I’ll give you a moment to turn and get ready, and let’s get into the Word of God. It would be smart to have a notepad, even if it’s on your phone or a physical pad with a pencil—the old-fashioned way. It would be great to have that. It’s nice to tweet; it’s nice to post, but it’s better to learn. So, if you learn something and want to share it with someone else, that’s great, but make sure you’re not giving away the bread before you get some yourself. We’re going to open up the Scriptures together, and we will be blessed.
I want to talk from the subject «Declassified.» As I go through the Word of God, you will see more clearly what I mean when I say «declassified.» There are some things that have been hidden from the foundations of the world that have been declassified for the saints and made available for us to understand. For God to unveil and expose these truths to us is going to be good, and we’re going to have a great time in the Word of God.
In Ephesians chapter one, Paul is writing back to the church at Ephesus, a church he labored to birth with many tears and prayers, preaching and teaching. He had continued in Ephesus for about three years, according to the Book of Acts, and now he is writing back to them. It is a powerful epistle written by the apostle himself to the church at Ephesus, to the believers who are surrounded by all types of ideologies and corruptions, a remnant still worshiping Diana, agnosticism, and various ideologies that contradict the theology Paul is teaching, surrounded by Orthodox Judaism.
In the midst of all that, Paul is still proceeding, and there’s a message in that all by itself: everything doesn’t have to be conducive or in agreement with you for you to do what God has called you to do. You can still do it, you can still go for it, and you can still be blessed. So, let’s get into this and delve into the Word of God. I’ve got my Bible; I’m using my Bible again. I don’t know, I’m going through something. There’s nothing wrong with using an iPad or other devices, but I’ve been drawn back to my Bible. It is all marked up, tattered, and the pages are torn, but it’s still my Bible, and it’s really good.
I’ll start at verse three: «Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundations of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, wherein he has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he had purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on the earth, even in him. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will.»
I’ll stop there; that’s a lot. Even in the greeting, when Paul first greets the church at Ephesus, there is revelation: «Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.» He tells us that our God is blessed. He is not in want, not in need, lacking nothing; He is complete within Himself. God has never asked a question He couldn’t answer, had a need He couldn’t supply, or had a desire He couldn’t fulfill. He is complete within Himself, lacking nothing. «Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.» That alone is amazing; we had nothing, and we can take nothing away from Him. He is the Ancient of Days, the Sovereign One, the Mighty One, complete within Himself. He is full; as far to the east as He is to the west, as far to the north as He is to the south. David said, «From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God,» the all-sufficient one, El Shaddai.
He is complete; He is sufficient, lacking nothing. You can add nothing to Him, you can take nothing away from Him; He is the all-sufficient one. Blessed be God! A lot of people don’t see God as being blessed. They see God through the lens of their pain, circumstances, situations, or teachings, and they don’t understand that God is so blessed that the streets in heaven are paved with gold. God is so blessed that He designed the jewels that would be on the breastplate of the high priest. God is so blessed that there are jewels all over heaven. When we talk about all of that, really, it’s nothing—it’s just trinkets. Whatever God wanted, He could simply say, «Let there be,» and it would become whatever He desired. God is blessed not because of things, but because all things are made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
I’m in the Gospel of Saint John: all things are made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. So, the blesser is always more blessed than the blessing. The blesser is always more blessed than the blessing. All things were made by Him, so whether it’s gold, silver, onyx, healing, deliverance, wisdom, or peace, however you define «blessed,» God already possesses it. He has already obtained all that. Blessed be God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Now, he was blessed all by himself if he didn’t share it, if he didn’t give it, if he didn’t commend it, if he didn’t allocate it, if he didn’t release it. He’s still blessed; he’s blessed. But then here comes the one who has blessed us. Now that’s the transfer. If somebody comes to you and says, «I’m going to give you, uh, let me see, I’m going to give you 30 million dollars,» and you say, «Oh hooray!» and they pull out a checkbook, get suspicious because really large wealth is seldom transferred by a check; it’s always done by a wire. A wire is something you cannot see; it just arrives in your account. In that same spirit of the unseen transfer of the Holy Spirit, when God, who is already blessed, has blessed us with all spiritual blessings, this isn’t a tangible transfer; this is a spiritual transfer who has blessed us. He has put in our account all spiritual blessings and things that pertain to life and godliness in Christ Jesus. He has given us the root from which all things consist, which has been transferred to us.
You know, you don’t hear me—the root of which all things consist has been transferred to us. He has allocated it; he has released it; he has wired it; he has transferred it—not the thing, but the thing that creates the thing. Not the car, but the thing that creates the car. Not the healing, but the healer. It is all transferred in the Spirit. So, your blessings come out; they don’t come in; they come out. They come out of what God has put in the bank account of your soul and in your spirit, down in the depths of your spirit. Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings.
This is why we ought not to see churches as just a church. We have not just seen worship as just worship, a routine, a ritual, or something that we go through. It’s when we get in the Spirit; it’s when we get in the worship; it’s when we get lost in the presence of God that we become eligible to receive a transfer. You can’t receive a transfer from God in carnality. This is why Moses veiled his face when he came down after experiencing the glory of God. He veiled his face because Moses had beheld the glory, and the glory that he beheld, he became. He didn’t hear that—the glory he beheld, he became. The glory he beheld, he became. So the blessed be God said, «I’m going to cause my goodness to pass by you,» and when the goodness passed by, God put his hand over the place in the rock, removed his hand, and exposed Moses to that glory.
And all of a sudden, Moses' face started becoming what he was seeing. Oh my God, can you imagine seeing glory until glory gets in the pores of your skin and you become a lantern illuminated with the glory of God? The Bible said the brightness of the glory shone in the face of Moses because he started becoming what he was looking at. When Moses comes down off the mountain, his face is lit with the glory of God; it is lit with the glory of God. However, the children of Israel are dancing naked around the calf, and Moses veils his face because God will not share that kind of glory with somebody who is not elevated in that high place seeking Him, calling on Him. And so we don’t just seek Him to seek Him, call on Him to call on Him, worship Him because that’s our church routine. No, no, no; we’re trying to get to the mountain where the glory is passing by, and there in the high places, we become what we behold. We become what we behold.
The Bible says, «As He is, so are we in this world.» So as we behold the wonder of His glory, we become the wonder of His glory. We start to change; we start to go through a transfer, and God has transferred without Moses even asking for it. Just looking at it, the transfer began to download into his skin until he started looking like what he had been looking at. People always look like what they have been looking at. Eventually, they start to pick up—have you ever been around somebody and they have an expression, like the old folks used to say, «Something this milk ain’t clean»? I used to laugh at it, and now as I get older, I find myself saying, «Something this milk ain’t clean.»
You become what you behold—little, little, little idiosyncrasies you pick up from whatever you look at; you become. That’s why you have to be careful what you look at. Blessed be God who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings and things that pertain to life and godliness in Christ Jesus. He has blessed us. Right now, I am blessed, without looking at your checkbook, without pulling out your wallet, without calling your account, without looking at your bank account, without checking with anybody else—just write, «I am blessed.» Why? Because if you are in the presence of God, there’s a constant transfer going on—a peace, a power, an anointing, a glory, a wisdom.
It’s just constant; you’re becoming what you behold. If you come down off the mountain and you’re dancing naked around the calf in carnality, you are exposed to it, but you can’t become it because God veils it, and the transfer is closed. My prayer for you tonight is that God would make a transfer, that He would download a peace that passes all understanding, that your joy would be full. My prayer for you tonight is that you would see Him as He is. My prayer for you tonight is that you would know Him in the fellowship of His suffering and the power of His resurrection because He wants to make a transfer into your life. This is a message; this is the way He greets the church at Ephesus. I mean, He comes in teaching—hello! —and He opens up the door and immediately starts teaching them about what they have in Christ Jesus.
This you get from Bible class; you don’t get this from Wednesday night. This you get from Bible class, and when I started talking about «Don’t drop the mic,» I’m referring to this level of teaching—passing on not just the transfers of clichés and slogans and things that come easily because you don’t want to study. You just saw something on Instagram, snatched it, preached on it, and didn’t really get the revelation out of it because it didn’t lay in your womb, and it wasn’t birthed in your spirit. You’re just repeating classified information, but it hasn’t been revealed unto you. You’re just leaking confidential information; you don’t even know what it means, but you’re just leaking information. But when there’s a transfer, it is attached to you.
Did you know that the Bible says the engrafted word of God is able to save your soul? The word of God that sticks to you, that becomes you, that’s engrafted—in grafted—is able to save your soul, your emotions, your mind, your memory, your attitude. Just by allowing the word of God to become engrafted, that alone will lift you, raise you, fortify you, strengthen you, and cause a deposit to come into you. There’s no way you can start reading God’s word, read it continually, and not become wiser, stronger, more resolute, more stable, and simply better—not perfect—just better.
This is good! I want you to get this tonight, and I want you to get it in your spirit: «Who have blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.» You’ve got to come up to the mountain; you’ve got to come up to the higher place. «Lord, lift us up where we belong.» You want to come up to the high place; you want to be where the transfer is being made. It’s not being made down low. Eagles don’t mate in chicken coops; they mate in the air. It’s in the high places, in the heavenly places, where the transfer is made. You have to get high enough; that’s why the enemy wants to keep you depressed, discouraged, confused, and forlorn. He wants to keep you in the chicken coop where you can’t get the transfer.
But if you spread your wings, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings like eagles. If you spread your wings and go up into the high places, that’s where the transfer is being made. «According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundations of the world.» Wait a minute; He chose me before the foundations of the world! The Bible said, «According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundations of the world.» Before your mother met your father, before your grandmother met your grandfather, God had already chosen you, that we should be holy.
So, He chose me first, and then afterwards that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love—holy and without blame before Him in love! He chose me; He didn’t choose me because I was good, or because I studied hard, or because my mother was good. He chose me before the foundations of the world. Do you know you’re chosen? You didn’t just choose Him, but that He has chosen you. He says it later—in John chapter 8: «You have not chosen me; I have chosen you.» God has chosen you before the foundations of the world, so it couldn’t have been through any goodness of your own—something that you did, some talent that you have, some degree that you attained, some accomplishment that you mastered. Oh, that’s good! I’m not against that, but that’s not why He chose you. He chose you in Him before the foundations of the world.
That might be why He blessed you with that gift and that information, so you could do what He chose you to do. But He did not choose you because you were gifted; He did not choose you because you were handsome; He did not choose you because you were pretty. He chose you before the foundation of the world. And listen, He equipped you with everything you need to do what He created you to do. If you would have needed to be taller, He would have made you taller. If you would have needed to be more handsome, He would have made you more handsome. He gave you everything you need to do what He chose you to do before the foundations of the world. Transfer! Glory to God, transfer! Now this is good; let’s get into this because I want to dive into this with you. «That we should be holy and without blame before him in love.»
Now wait a minute; in our flesh, we are neither holy nor without blame before Him in love. In our flesh, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, do you know that Jesus came to adopt us into the royal family? We would have no right to be heirs of the promise that we are heirs of the promise as Isaac was. We are heirs of the promise of God! Jesus came to adopt us into the royal family to bring us in. You have come into something that’s so much bigger than the people in your church, who likes you, who doesn’t like you, who thought your dress was too short, and who said something that hurt your feelings.
That’s not what I’m talking about. He brought you into the royal family—the Ancient of Days, the royal family that is and was and is to come. He brought you into something that is so much bigger than the things that you’re complaining about. Being adopted—now, when you’re born, you get what you get, you know; some people have a baby and you look over in the crib and say, «Oh, that’s all you can say because whatever you had, that’s what you got.» But when you adopt, you choose. Paul is weighing heavily on this thing that you have been selected; He picked you out and said, «I want that one, and I want her, and I want him, and they should be mine before the foundations of the world.»
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will. This is hard to grasp: He did not adopt you because of your need; He adopted you according to His good pleasure. It pleased Him to do it. Do you see? Oh, you don’t see; it pleased Him to bring you in! It pleased Him to snatch you from the gates of hell! It pleased Him to pull you away from the trap that the enemy had for you! It pleased Him to give you a second chance! It pleases God; it pleases God! I know it pleases you too; it pleases me! It gives me joy; we dance, we shout about it, we clap about it. But He did it according to His good pleasure, which He had purposed in Himself—that’s why He did it—according to the good pleasure of His will—to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.
I love that right there; I love that right there! Can I read that again? I want to read that again; I love that! Because I think it is powerful, and I think it is important: «To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.» So many people are busy running around doing things, trying to be accepted. They change their hair to be accepted; they change their clothes trying to be accepted; they change the way they talk trying to be accepted; they change the way they dress trying to be accepted. They change churches trying to be accepted; they change cities trying to be accepted. Do you not know you’re already accepted in the Beloved?
So whoever rejected you, don’t spend time focusing on who rejected you. Spend time rejoicing over who accepted you! You are accepted in the Beloved! You are accepted in the blood! I don’t know why we spend time trying to talk God out of loving us. «Oh Lord, you know I’m not worthy,» and «Oh God, I’m not here.» The Bible says He’s already accepted you in the Beloved! Come into agreement with the fact that you belong right here; you belong with Him! You are accepted in the Beloved! «Oh preacher, not me!» Yes, you! Accepted in the blood! If you’re a born-again believer, you are accepted in the blood! «I’m not perfect yet!» You are accepted in the blood! It means something to be accepted—to be accepted—to be just to be accepted in the Beloved. To know that you are accepted—there’s nothing like going into a house where you’re not welcome. You can feel it the moment you come in the door.
«Come on in, have a seat,» and you know they said, «Have a seat,» but they don’t really mean it. It’s totally different when you walk into a house where they open the door and say, «Oh, you’re here! I couldn’t wait for you to get here!» You know you’re accepted; you come right in. There’s a whole different atmosphere that comes just from knowing that you are accepted in the Beloved. I may not be accepted in the clique; I may not be accepted in the club; I may not be accepted in the choir; I may not be accepted by my friends; I may not be accepted by the saints; but I am accepted in the Beloved. And if you’re going to be around Jesus, you’ve got to deal with me because I am accepted! Where? In!
Wow! Oh, I am accepted in the Beloved! This speaks to my state and not my standing; this speaks to my position and not my condition; this speaks to my location and not my frustration. This says that I am in the Beloved! I am accepted in the Beloved! I’m not standing at the door knocking; I’m in the house! I am accepted in the Beloved! Oh, that’s shouting stuff right there! But better than just shouting about it, for you to know that you’re accepted in the Beloved changes the way you come boldly to the throne of grace—that you may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. How come you come in boldly? Because you’re accepted! You’re accepted in the Beloved!
And I want you to type right now: «I am accepted!» I’m not trying to be accepted; I’m not waiting to be accepted; I’m not hoping to be accepted; I’m not giving to be accepted; I’m not living to be accepted; I’m not praying to be accepted. I, as a believer, am accepted in the blood. If you’re not a believer, don’t you know that the arms of the Lord were stretched wide on Calvary, opening up His arms toward you that you could come and be accepted in the Beloved? He wants to accept you right now in Him! «Oh, but I was on drugs, and I was in jail.» He knows all of that; you can’t tell God anything about you that He doesn’t know. You are accepted in the Beloved! And we’re going to get into that a little bit more because I think there’s something about it that you need to know and understand about your position—in Christ, not around Him.
A lot of people are happy to be around the things of God, but they’re not in them. They like to be around the people of God; they like to be around the choir; they can sing, so they get in the choir, and we just accept them. But our accepting you in the choir does not mean you’re accepted in the Beloved! Only Christ can accept you into the Beloved! Only Christ can adopt you into the royal family! Only Christ can put the mark on you that seals you as one of His! That’s what the Holy Spirit does; it seals you with the family crest—the insignia that says to the world and to Satan: «This person belongs to God!» Like a slave being branded, you belong to God. Know ye now that your body belongs to God, that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost!
You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption to let every demon know that you’re accepted in the blood! Take your hands off, Satan! I belong to God! I feel faith leaping up in somebody’s heart right now. I don’t know who it is, but I feel faith coming up in somebody’s heart. «In whom we have redemption through His blood.» We’re not trying to get redemption; we’re not hoping for redemption; we’re not waiting on redemption. You know they’ve got properties now that you can rent till you own them, and you can rent to own. You don’t really own it until you made the last payment. If you’ve made the last payment, then the deed is transferred. No! God has transferred the deed before the payment is ever made! You didn’t hear that!
God has transferred the deed before the payment was ever made! Before you started Bible class, before you started fasting, before you started praying, before you started doing whatever you started doing—all those things are wonderful, but that’s not why He did it! You are His! Before your circumcision! Circumcision is the sign of the covenant; it is not the covenant! Baptism is the sign of the covenant is not the covenant; the covenant is something that happens inside of you, where you are accepted in the Beloved. This is good, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace, not according to the wretchedness of the sin or the type of sin it was, but according to the riches of his grace.
God, blessed be God, the riches of his grace are rich enough to atone for the sins of man. Hell has not made a chain that God couldn’t break, a habit that he couldn’t deliver you from, a sin that he couldn’t set you free from. You’ve been accepted through the blood for the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. This is good, wherein he has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. He has abounded toward us now because we are accepted in the blood, because our sins have been remitted. He has opened up to us; he has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence—his providence, his plan, his purpose for your life.
He’s abounded toward you. If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives liberally as he will and does not upbraid; God will give you wisdom transferred into you. You may think you’re getting smarter; it’s not coming from you; it’s coming from him. The wisdom is coming down from above. The wisdom that said, «Don’t go out there tonight,» the wisdom to say, «Go back in the house,» the wisdom that said, «Hold your peace,» a lot of times, that is God, giving you the wisdom to navigate through situations in your life—on your job, with people—when to be silent, when to hold your peace, when to speak up. Is this a good time, Lord?
The early church, as they moved—particularly, I’m thinking of David—didn’t go to battle without asking God, «Shall I go up?» He didn’t go into battle because he was angry or because he was hurt; he prayed because he wanted permission to do so. You can only conquer when he’s given you permission to conquer. When the Lord said «Go up,» he attacked. Good God of mercy!
I wonder what would happen if we would really start consulting God before we went after things or after people or after friendships or after properties, and we just started saying, «God, I only want it if you want me to have it. I don’t want a friend you don’t want me to have. I don’t want a job you don’t want me to have. I don’t want a relationship you don’t want me to have. You pick my friends; I’ve messed up enough, Lord knows I have. I have messed up enough that at this stage in my life I want you to choose my company; I want you to choose who I do business with. I want you to choose where I lay my head. I want you involved in everything I do.»
Is there anybody out there other than me? Is it just me, or have you done enough dumb things that you’re now ready for God to take over the navigational system of your life? That he can prove his wisdom, and that he might grant unto you all wisdom and prudence, that you might have a real understanding of who you are in Christ Jesus.
Does that sound good to you? Yes, that sounds good to me! That sounds good to me; that sounds real good to me! And if you begin to understand this, it’s going to help you—it’s going to help you in your life, and in your soul, and in your spirit. Yes, it will! Yes, it will! Yes, it will! That’s my favorite verse right here: having made known unto us the mystery of his will. Having made known unto us, now this is where it becomes declassified. He chose me in him; I don’t remember, but he chose me in him before the foundations of the world. He picked me out that I should be holy and without blame before him in love. He did all of that before I ever even got here.
But at some point in my living, he taps me on the shoulder, and having made known unto us the mystery of his will—that is the declassification of classified information, the point when God says, «I can trust you enough to tell you why you’re here.» Having made known unto us the mystery of his will is a mystery; it’s a novel, it’s a suspense thriller. His will is a whodunit; his will is such a mystery—it’s a draped painting, it’s a covered statue. Having made known is an apocalypse; it is an unveiling of that which has been hidden. As God unveils it to you, all of a sudden, you get a sense of the mystery of his will. Why does that matter? With that comes contentment. With that comes the lack of a need to compare yourself with other people, because what he has willed for me is not what he has willed for you.
I’m amazed at people on social media telling me what I ought to preach, what I ought to say, and what I ought to speak out about—what I ought to do. People are masterful at meddling in things that are none of their business; they’re masterful at telling you what you ought to do, and they don’t know what to do with what they’ve got, but they know what you ought to do with something that God hasn’t even given them. I don’t need them to tell me; I need him to make it known unto me. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will—there is a mystery; there is a mystery to his will. There is a mystery that sometimes, at the moment, you don’t understand. You don’t understand why the job closed. You don’t understand why you lost the house. You don’t understand why the baby died. You don’t understand why your best friend broke your heart. It’s a mystery, but eventually, God will make known unto you the mystery of his will.
I’m going to take a moment and just stop to pray for people who are in a state of confusion, in a state of confusion. So many people talking to you, speaking into your life; you don’t know what to do. Stop all the noise in your life and be still and know that God is God, and God wants to make known unto you the mystery of his will. All you got to do is, when he makes it known unto you, agree with it. «Oh no, God, I can’t. Oh no, I’m too young! Oh no, I don’t want to be bothered with him! I don’t know— they’re going to talk about me. Oh no, they never liked me!» God doesn’t want to hear all of those excuses. «I can’t talk, Lord! I stutter when I speak!» Lord, I get it—God doesn’t want to hear your excuses. He wants you to align with the mystery of his will. His will is a mystery. Who God chooses is a mystery; how he uses us is a mystery; the doors he opens is a mystery. But God said, «I will not leave you in the dark about it; I will let you know the mystery of his will. I will declassify the information.»
Somebody right now needs to have declassification. I break the bondage; I break the bondage; I break the confusion; I break the depression; I break the fear. I break the feeling of being lost; I break through the feelings of depression and all of the garbage that Satan has tried to pull down on top of you to drown you so that you could not see up and you could not see out and you could not see the mystery of his will. God is about to open your eyes so that you can see the mystery of his will for your life, so you’ll be happy to be you, satisfied to be you, satisfied with your gifting, satisfied with your congregation, satisfied with who you married, satisfied with your children, satisfied with your life. The only way you can do that is not because they’re so good; it’s not because you don’t want other things. The only way you can become satisfied is to understand this is a part of the mystery of his will. The mystery of his will doesn’t mean that you get to design your life.
If we got to design our lives, how would we explain the Garden of Gethsemane when Christ goes into the garden and he says, «If it be thy will, let this bitter cup pass from me.» He didn’t want to go to the cross. Then he says, «Not my will, but thine be done.» He surrenders to the mystery of his will. It doesn’t always bring you into green pastures; sometimes it brings you into three nails and a tree. But if it brings you into three nails and a tree, it will also bring you to an empty tomb. The mystery of his will says I won’t get you into anything that I won’t get you out of! Having made known unto us, having made known unto us, having made known unto us, having made known unto us! I call it declassified, declassified, declassified, declassified! Let me in on the secret.
The Bible said, «The secret of the Lord is with them that love him, and he will show them his covenant.» God wants to expose you to the mystery of his will. Wow! I’m going to let that sink in. God wants to declassify! You know how sometimes in the government they have classified information? Classified information that the press can’t get; the world can’t get it; it’s classified. Then, sometimes, after many years, they will declassify the information and make it known. God said, «From the foundations of the world, I had classified information on the role you were to play, the accomplishments you were to have, the peaks you were to reach, the places you were able to climb.
At a certain point, if you praise me for my grace and for my glory, I will whisper in your ear and make known the mystery of his will. I will whisper in your ear and say, „Elijah, what doest thou hear?“ You don’t have a business in this cave. You’re not to die in this cave. Jezebel is not going to kill you. Get your oil and start anointing Elisha to be a prophet in my stead, Hazael and Jehu to be kings over Syria and Israel. I’m not done using you just because somebody doesn’t like you! Just because you’re feeling terrified, or just because you’re lonely, or just because your heart is broken, or just because you’re going through a bad time, you will not die in this cave! Come out of this cave! I want to whisper in you! I want to whisper to you!
Having made known unto you, unto us, the mystery of his will is one of the most precious things you could ever have in your life. Knowing it’s great to be a believer; it’s wonderful to be a believer. I’m so glad I’m a believer. And there are certain things I just embrace by my faith. I can’t see it; I don’t know how, I don’t know when, I don’t know where, but I embrace it by faith. But this is not about believing; this is about knowing. God says, „I will take you from believing to knowing!“
Having made known unto us, having made known—this is the role you are to play. This is why you were created. This is a child that only you can raise. This is the church that you can pastor. This is a book that you are to write. Having made known unto us the mystery of his will. And all of a sudden, once you’ve had that encounter with God, your whole attitude changes because you go from thinking to believing to knowing. „I think so. I believe so. I know so.“ Which one sounds stronger to you? „I think so, I believe so, I know so.“ This is not something that you can provoke.
Now, let’s be honest: you can’t make him tell you, „Declassify what he has decided to keep classified.“ He decides what you are ready to know, and at the point you are ready to know, he will tell you. For Jeremiah, he was seventeen years old when the Lord said, „Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. I ordained thee; I sanctified thee to be a prophet unto the nations.“ You know what that is? That’s God telling him why he’s here. God wants to declassify the information to bring you into an understanding of why you are here and why you are gifted and why you are created. Why you think the way you do; why you enjoy being around people or why you don’t enjoy being around people; or why you have a voice to say; or why you have an ability to speak and articulate. He wants to make known unto you the mystery of his will. Some of the mystery is hidden in the gifts that he gave you.
I want you to sit down and write five gifts that he’s given you. It’s going to be hard for some of you; it’s going to be easy—you can name fifty gifts. But for some of you, it’s going to be hard, not because you don’t have five gifts; you’re not used to acknowledging what you have. You’re used to acknowledging what everybody else has. You have been trained to acknowledge what you don’t have. But we’re going to reverse it! We’re going to turn that rusty mindset around to get you to acknowledge what you have been blessed with—five things that you have been blessed with. It could be a work ethic; it could be a gift for writing; it could be good thinking; it could be good discernment of people; it could be a gift of giving; it could be a gift of compassion; it could be a good bedside manner for taking care of people who are ill; it could be good organization!
Leader, it could be a good motivator. It could be a good supporter of somebody. I don’t like to be upfront, but I’m good at supporting those who are up front. I want you to write five things that God has given you as talents. This is five, which is uncomfortable for some of you, isn’t it? To acknowledge what you have because you have been trained to acknowledge what you don’t have and what other people possess. But when it comes to seeing the value of being you, you’ve got butterflies in your stomach, don’t you?
Five. Five things, and God wants to take those five things that you wrote. From, I think when you get me, I think you get one, two, three, four, five. Later, when you get me, I believe you get one, two, three, four, five. Still more mature, when you get me, I know you will get one, two, three, four, five. I think, I believe, I know. Do you know what you have been given? Having made known unto us the mystery, the mystery of His will. Sometimes the hardest thing in the world for me to see is me. If you were in the room right now, I could see you. I can see the room. I can see the lights. I can see my computer. I can see everything around me. The thing I have trouble seeing is me because eyes don’t float backwards; they float forward.
So, I can see you easier than I can see me. But this time, we’re gonna flip the eyes around. Close your eyes and we’re going to see you. You spend way too much time seeing other people and what they have and way too much time spending your life seeing what you didn’t get. I don’t want you to waste another parcel of energy on what you didn’t get and what you don’t have. I’m asking you to have the courage to flip your eyes around and see what you have been given because as I see what has been given to me, I get some sense of what I am supposed to do. If I go in the kitchen and I see flour and I see butter and I see ice water but I don’t see any eggs and I don’t see any milk, then I know I’m not supposed to be making a cake because there are no eggs and no milk. I haven’t been given that. But what could I take with the flour, ice water, and butter?
I could, let me see, I could make a pie crust. How do you know you could make a pie crust? Because I know what’s in it, and I have—let me go look—because I believe. I believe I do. Then I go look and say I know I can do that. Going through what you have been given gives you clues to this mystery. I’m almost finished. I’m almost finished. I hope you’re getting something out of this. Let’s rehearse it. Let’s see. Let’s rehearse it. I think, I believe, I know. In between „believe“ and „know“ is declassification. I know. How do you know? He made known. He made known unto me the mystery of His will. Come on, we’re gonna do a couple more verses that in the dispensations of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him.
Who God thinks—oh, I thought He was trying to connect me to my church or to the choir or to the chicken committee or the cake-baking society. No, no, He’s trying to connect me to the whole thing—the whole thing of things in heaven and on earth. I am a part of something so much bigger than me, bigger than my era, bigger than my times, bigger than my language, bigger than my ethnicity, bigger than my country, bigger than my denomination, bigger than my affiliations. He has brought me into this large thing of that which is, was, and is to come, that which is eternal, that which is physical. He has brought me into the realm of something that is humongous. Have you ever praised God till you felt like you weren’t alone? Have you ever started worshiping God till you felt like you were worshiping in the presence of angels?
When you get in the spirit, you come into the presence of something bigger than yourself and God ties you in to things on earth and things in heaven. He ties you in. He connects you. He connects you. He brings you into something so much bigger—to the spirits of just men made perfect. He brought you into something, baby. You don’t know. You think you’re just watching YouTube. You think you’re just watching Facebook. You think you’re just going to Wednesday night Bible study. You have no idea He has brought you into something that is bigger than your clock, bigger than your birthdays, it’s bigger than time itself. He has brought you into an eternal strategy, a role you are to play, a role that only you can play. He has brought you into it.
And it doesn’t matter whether people think it’s great or not. It could be as small as the woman who was making beds at Naaman’s house, and all of a sudden, while she was making beds, a little maid turned and told him, „I would to God that she would go to Israel. There is a prophet in Israel.“ And because of that woman telling him that, Naaman’s leprosy was cleansed. God used a maid. Go to the next village, and there you will find a colt tied to a post. God used a colt! He knew where the colt was. He used a maid. He used two fish and five loaves of bread. He used, with Samson, the jawbone of an ass. With the children of Israel, He used a rock that Moses struck, and water came out. Don’t you tell me God can’t use you! Don’t you tell me that God doesn’t have a plan?
If He can use the rock, if He can use the jawbone of an ass, and it would be right there, that it would be just right there, that it would dry up, right there, so that when Samson came by and was fighting the Philistines, he said, „I need the jawbone to be right there because I’m gonna use that to bring out every little thing about you.“ It ties into something bigger than you. That’s right! When the devil messes with you, he doesn’t know what he’s messing with. He’s messing with the plans and the purpose of God. Messing with the plans and the purpose of God. That’s why he can’t win. There’s no way you can win because I’m in the will. He can’t win because I’m in the will! I’m in the wheel! Did you read it a while ago?
I’m in the will! I’m in the will! I’m in the wheel! I’m in the strategy of God! I’m in the mind of God! I’m in the thoughts of God! I’m in the purpose of God! According as He had purpose, I’m in the purpose of God! He purposed me! He willed me! He graced me! He sanctified me! He declared me righteous that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love! He had to give it to me! I couldn’t give it to myself! He had to do all of it! Salvation is of the Lord! Deliverance is of the Lord! Peace is of the Lord! Power is of the Lord! Direction is of the Lord!
Some of you need direction right now! Direction comes from the Lord! Acknowledge Him in all thy ways and He shall direct thy path! You need direction desperately, but you don’t acknowledge Him! I acknowledge Him in all my ways! You don’t acknowledge Him with your lips, with your life, with your living, with your giving! When you acknowledge God in all your ways, the Bible said He will direct my path! And you need direction right now—only God can give it! Oh, I love this book of Ephesians because this book is not for everybody! This is not for the faithless! This is for the faithful! This is not for the people who are going to wander in the wilderness and die!
This is for people who are going to possess the promised land! This is to the New Testament what Joshua was to the Old Testament! This is not for wimps; this is for people who are going to possess the things of God, who are going to say, „That’s mine! God’s given it to me!“ Who are going to march around walls until they crumble? Who know that God, blessed be God, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings! This is for people who are going to claim their inheritance! This is for people who are going to have good success! This is the New Testament book of Joshua! This is for the people who are going to drive out the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Ammonites and all the other „ites“ that are standing in the way of you possessing what God has predestined for you to have! Good God Almighty! Predestined!
I have done what I’ve done because He predestined me to do it! I have whatever I have because He predestined me to do it! I married who I married because He predestined me to do it! Pretty—that’s fine—we’re gonna get into it! Let me, let me take you just a little bit further! Just a little bit—just a little bit! Don’t get tired of me! Don’t get tired! Don’t get tired! That in the dispensation of the fullness of time, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in Him in whom we have obtained an inheritance! Good God Almighty! I felt that—I’m sorry. I felt that in my soul! In whom we have obtained an inheritance! It’s just by being in. In whom we have obtained an inheritance!
I told you it was going to be a transfer! I told you God’s transferring into your life! Blessings are being transferred into your life! Throw your hands up right now and receive your inheritance! Receive it in your life! Receive it in your spirit! Receive it in your wisdom! Receive it in your walk! I think—I believe—no, I know! I want you to hear that again because that’s too good! In whom we have obtained an inheritance! An inheritance! Inheritance! You’re an heir! You’re an heir! You’re an heir of it! It’s—it’s in there! It’s in there! It’s in there! Receive it right now!
Lift your hands and open your mouth! I want everyone to open your mouth and start praising God right now! Open your mouth as you receive your inheritance! Receive your inheritance! Possess your land! Possess your peace! Possess your body! Possess your power! Possess your healing! Possess your deliverance! Possess your strength! Possess your integrity! Possess it! Receive it! It’s yours! My God! I felt somebody slain in the Holy Spirit! Let Him use you! You just caught something! You just caught your inheritance! Oh God! In whom also we have obtained an inheritance! You have obtained an inheritance! You didn’t work for it! You didn’t earn it! You didn’t labor for it! You didn’t tarry for it! You just obtained it! It’s wired! He wired it! He wired it to you! You received it in a wire!
It was revealed in a whisper! We are coming into a time of declassification that the tale will be the head of the last shall be first! Things are about to switch up because we are coming into a declassification of that which was hidden from the foundations of the world! God has now revealed and made manifest to us in these last days; you have obtained an inheritance! Somebody’s going to walk into a blessing right after! Somebody will walk right into it and receive it right now in the name of Jesus by the power of God! I don’t know who I’m talking to, but I’m talking to somebody, and you know I’m talking to you! You feel it in your spirit! Your spirit is leaping up and down! You’ve received an inheritance! You know it on the inside! You might not see it in your house yet; you may not see it on your job; you might not see it in your checkbook, but it’s in your spirit!
Let me read this again: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will. Predestined—that I was doing an interview earlier today, and I was doing an interview with some of the cast from my movie, „Seven Deadly Scenes,“ which is coming out on Lifetime! We were doing an interview for the press, and one of the actresses said—see, I asked each one what was her favorite scene; she said, „My favorite scene is the last scene to play in the movie!“ But in actuality, I shot it first! Ah! I was jumped out of my skin! I was jumped out of my skin! It didn’t come till last, but she actually shot it first! Predestined!
The end was determined from the beginning! They shot the last scene first, and then they put it in sequence! What the viewer sees last, the actress played first! God has pre—which means before—destined—which means ending! And that means that God has fixed the ending before you obtain your inheritance! I hope you can ingest this information! But not now! Wait, wait! I want to go just a little bit! Who worketh all things!
Somebody say, „Working!“ Jesus is working! Working! Jesus! Working! Working! Jesus! Working! Worketh, Jesus! Working! Worketh, Jesus! Working! He worketh all things—good things, bad things, painful things, hurtful things, depressing things, positive things—He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will! Hallelujah! Of His own will! He’s working all things after the counsel of His own will not according to your demands, your frustrations, your temper tantrums, and your pity party; He worketh all things. He worketh all things, all things according to the counsel of His will.
Something broke tonight. I felt it. Something was released tonight; I sensed it. I think, I believe; no, I know. If annoyance has come into your spirit, I want you to lift your hands and just worship Him, just for a moment. Just for 60 seconds, I want nothing but worship—hands raised, or typing praise, or emojis, just for 60 seconds. Remember, praise for 50 seconds, nothing but praise for 30 seconds. Come on, come on—25 seconds, none but praise—numbered praise. 15 seconds, numbered praise. 10 seconds, none but praise. Just praising for what you receive and inherit. Five seconds, nothing but praise. Four, three, two, one—shout unto God. A transfer has been made, and He is going to work all things as He has purposed in Himself.
After that, let me get it just exactly the way He said it: „In whom we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.“ Well, I want to read. Let me read. Can I read just one more? Just one more? Drop down to verse 18 for just a minute: „That the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.“ That the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened—turn your eyes around and see how much God has placed down inside of you, because that’s what He’s going to work with. Where could Jesus work? Jesus worketh; that’s what He’s going to work with. That’s how it’s going to work. Work at Jesus!
Now, you’re going to have peace tonight. You’re going to have assurance tonight because there is a declassification where God is unveiling; He is unveiling that which has been hidden. That which has been hidden is now being declassified. To buy the house or not to buy the house? To move or not move? To start the business or not start the business? To open the church or not open the church? To build or to plant, to pluck up, to tear down—it’s all being declassified.
Father, in this moment, as we bow our heads before You and the presence of God is absolutely here, we can’t work with what we do not know. Declassify for us Your purpose in our lives, Your plan, Your way, Your will, and Your word. Declassify so that we can come into divine alignment, particularly right now. We need divine alignment with what You have predestined to happen in our lives. And every promise of God is „Yea“ and „Amen,“ and we believe You for whatever it is. So in Jesus' name, Amen.
Just before I close tonight, I feel an anointing for the declassification, an unveiling, a release of truth. I’m going to give you an opportunity—everybody doesn’t have to do it. Those of you that sense the presence of the Holy Spirit and that this word was for you—speak into the areas of your life where you need clarity and need declassification. Where it is revealed unto you that which has been hidden, that which has been not shown before, that which has been covered up is going to be declassified. I want you to say whatever the Holy Spirit said. Disobey Him? No, let me obey Him! Obey Him! Declassify!
I want to come into a place of peace where I understand that You are going to work it out; You’re going to work it. I have this child; You’re going to work it. I’m in this place; You’re going to work it. I’m in this city; You’re going to work it. You’re going to work it for my promotion. You’re going to work all things after the counsel of Your own will. I want to be in alignment. I may have to shut up where I’ve been talking too much. I may have to speak up where I’ve been too quiet. I want it revealed unto me; make known unto me the mystery of Your will. Open it up, and I want to go from „I think so“ to „I believe so“ to „I know so.“
Declassification in this moment, in this second: the safest place for me is in Your perfect will. I don’t want to be in Your permissive will, if there be such a thing. I don’t want to be in my will—I’m tired of manipulating things. I want to be in Your perfect will. Even as I sow tonight, I pray, God, that You would give me confidence in those five things I wrote down, that I think so. I believe—bring me to „I know“ that You have given me this, and out of this, I can make that, that, and the other. I sow into what You have sown into me. I plant into what You have planted into me. I give out of what You have given to me.
Find something to give. If you don’t have anything to give, give a shout, give a praise—find something to give in this moment because something has been given to you. You have obtained an inheritance. Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us! You’re blessed, you’re blessed! Now the givers are giving, and the sowers are sowing. There are some people who love to sow; if you don’t have anything to sow, I just want you to type in the line: „I’m blessed.“ As soon as you give, just type „I’m blessed, I’m blessed, I’m blessed, I’m blessed.“
I want you to say it until it becomes easier to say. It’s so much easier to say „I’m lonely,“ „I’m tired,“ „I’m frustrated,“ „I’m in pain,“ „I’m hurt,“ „I’m forgotten,“ „I’m rejected,“ „I’m ugly,“ „I’m ostracized,“ „I’m too tall,“ „I’m too thin,“ „I’m too fat,“ „I’m too this,“ „I’m too that.“ No, no, no—none of that negative stuff. I’m blessed, I’m blessed, I’m blessed! I’m blessed to sing, I’m blessed to sow, I’m blessed to write, I’m blessed to care, I’m blessed to share. I’m blessed to be able to work by myself; I’m blessed to be able to deal with different kinds of people. Whatever it is, just start writing down things that you’re blessed with.
Can we take just the last few minutes and fill up my comments with things you are blessed with that you know you are blessed with? Oh, you’re blessed! You don’t have to worry about what others think; this is not bragging. This is boasting in the Lord! I know I can deal; I know I can clean; I know I can help; I know I can lead; I know I can teach. I want you to declare it until all doubt moves. „I think so?“ That ain’t gonna do it. „I believe so?“ No, that’s not gonna do it. „I know so.“
And I want you to sow a seed that you’ll walk in the knowledge that God has declassified in your life. There may be more that He’s going to declassify later. To the degree that He has declassified in your life—walk in that! Walk in what you know; you can’t walk in what you’re waiting on. Walk in what you know.
God, as we sow into You, it is just to acknowledge that You have sown into us and that we have obtained an inheritance. And whatever we’re giving tonight is just a receipt to acknowledge the fact that we have obtained—we got it! Right now, we have an inheritance. Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings and things that pertain unto life and godliness in Christ Jesus. God has blessed you! And not only did He bless you; He’s made it known unto you. It’s been declassified. You can’t use what you don’t know, but now you know. You’re accountable for what you know. I call the message Declassified because something can be there and classified for years and nobody knows it, and then all of a sudden it can be declassified and revealed. Thank You, Father, for making known unto us the mystery of Your will. Oh, that’s so good! The praises are coming in, the confessions are being typed, the seeds are being sown, and the harvest is coming to pass. My God, something has happened, and it has been declassified!