TD Jakes - Divine Takeaways
This sermon from Matthew 16:8-10 focuses on "divine takeaways," using the miracles of the loaves and fishes and Peter walking on water to illustrate that God provides and sustains us in our deserts and storms. The conclusion is a call to perceive Jesus in our trials, ask for permission to step out in faith, and trust that He will bring us into a new dimension of His presence and provision.
Dealing with Spiritual Opposition & Remembering God’s Provision
Go to Matthew 16, verses 8-10. I want you to think with me. I don't just want you to shout with me; I want you to think with me. In Matthew 16:8-10, Jesus is dealing with the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Everybody has to deal with the Pharisees. You have to deal with them; you can't get rid of them. You can't kill them out; you can't curse them. You've got to manage them. Jesus is dealing with them. But Jesus, aware of this, said, "Oh you of little faith, why are you discussing amongst yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Do you remember?" Look at your neighbor and say, "Do you remember?"
I want to talk a minute about Divine Takeaways. Divine takeaways. Look at somebody and say, "Divine takeaways."
Spirit of the living God, fall fresh. Fall so soft that it falls like dew early in the morning. Saturate us until we are wet with glory, until every enemy and every imp can sense that we spent the morning under the covenant of God, the banner of His spirit, and the shelter of His wings. I thank you in advance for what you're going to do. You never have to do it first for me to praise you. I praise you now, and I do it on credit; you can pay me later. Break a yoke in this place. Upset this place. Loose somebody in this place. Stir up a gift that's been tied up and let it go free. I break the shackles of whatever is holding you. And I believe you for miracles. Yes, I do. I believe you for miracles. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Give God the best praise you got. You may be seated.
The Symbolism of the Fish & God’s Controlled Environment
When I was praying about coming down here, the Lord gave me this message. It's kind of odd, but I started thinking about fish and the two fish and the five loaves of bread. All through the scriptures, there is this preoccupation God has between the aquatic citizens and the terrestrial citizens. He is able to move in either terrain with the same dexterity because He's God. Let me make it plain. He's able to speak to the whale and tell him to swallow up the prophet but don't hurt him. He's able to do amazing things, and it all centers around the fish. When He got ready to pay taxes, He told His disciples to go down with a fishing hook 'til you catch a fish, and the taxes are going to be in its mouth. God will put money in the mouth of your need, and it will come from places you didn't even think about because He's God. He's able to do God-kind of stuff.
I stumbled upon this reality, this vortex, this conclave, this situation, this circumstance, this dichotomous nature of Jesus. He has gone out into the wilderness to minister to His disciples, and they're about to faint. They don't even realize that there is no more food. The disciples say there is no food, and Jesus says to them, "They need not depart." Put a pen in that; I'm going to come back to that in a minute. "They need not depart." I was riding in the car with my mother many, many years ago, and I saw on the back of the car the fish sign, an Ichthys. At the time, I didn't even understand what an Ichthys was. It was a sign developed in the first century of the early church. It was a code; they would draw the bottom of a fish, and if you were a Christian, you would draw the top of the fish. They knew you were safe to talk to; otherwise, your life might be terminated.
Christianity started out being hated, and it will end up being hated. It will not always be popular. We may not always be able to assemble in an open assembly like this and worship God freely as the nations go through changes. As Nigeria is experiencing where Christians are being hounded, you don't understand what a right and a privilege it is to go to church. Even if you're doing it online, even if you're watching from your couch, even if you're doing it in your pajamas eating bacon and a ham sandwich and a plate full of grits, the very fact that you can hear the word of God is a gift. It's a gift to you. To fellowship with the saints is a gift. I know you can have church by yourself, but when you have church with other people, there's a difference in the atmosphere, the intensity of glory. In other words, one can chase a thousand, and two can chase ten thousand.
Some of you have thousands of demons that are either fighting you, or your children, or your marriage, or your job, or your house. You don't have time to play church. You need the intense presence of God to saturate you in such a way that you can break the yoke. You can't go around throwing oil all over the building, but you can go in there and whisper the name of Jesus and rattle hell. You can start an earthquake if you learn how to partner with somebody. If two or three are gathered in my name, God says, "I'll do anything in the midst of you." God is able to do anything. Somebody shout, "Anything!" What got me about this miracle that I'm about to talk a little bit about is that I understood the fish becomes a symbol in the first hundred years of the church of what Christianity is.
God is the God of the underworld. He's the God of the aquatic world. He's the God of the terrestrial world. He's the God who controls the sea. Ask Peter when Peter couldn't catch any fish, and Peter was a fisherman. Jesus knew where the fish was, and He held the fish back 'til He was ready for it. You didn't hear what I'm saying. See, God's got your blessing, and He holds it in His hand, and He knows where it is. When you obey Him and consult Him, He'll show you where to cast your net to get the breakthrough that you need. By faith, touch three people and say, "The fish are coming. The fish are coming. The fish are coming." God's got them. He's controlling them. He's saved them. Nobody's stolen your fish. Nobody's taken your fish. Nobody's taking your gift. Nobody's taking your place. What God's got for you, He'll hold it 'til you're ready for it.
They were right on the other side of the boat. You're closer to it than you think you are. You're nearer to the blessing than you think you are. And God is going to do it, and your Holy Ghost knows it. Even when your mind doesn't know it, and your emotions don't know it, and your circumstances don't know it, and your bills don't know it, you're still closer. That's why you get happy and still don't have no money. You get happy and still don't have no husband. You get happy, and you don't even know what you're happy about, because the Holy Ghost knows that your eyes have not seen, nor your ears heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God has in store for them that love Him. He's got it in storage. Your gift is in storage. Your favor is in storage. Your overflow is in storage. And I just believe that God is getting ready to turn you loose and show you where to drop your nets so that you can have impact.
He's a God that specialized. Who else but God could speak to fish and tell the fish, "Here and no further"? Who else but God could wake up out of a sleep and speak to a storm and say, "Peace, be still," and the winds and the waves obey His will? That means He's not just God of the overworld; He's God of the underworld. He's God of all dimensions, or He's not God at all. This is the kind of God that we're talking about. For three years, Jesus walked the earth doing amazing things, not in a hurry, not distressed. Three years of His life, He changed the world, and we are still talking about what He did with three years. I don't know who this is for: the next three years are going to be amazing. Let me try over here. The next three years are going to be absolutely amazing in your life, Hallelujah.
You're going to do things. You're going to open up the eyes of the blind. You're going to see doors moving. You're going to see mountains moving the next three years in your life, 'cause you're getting the kind of word that's going to cause you to explode all over this place. Who am I talking to? I just want to know if I'm in the right place. Am I in the right church? I think I'm in the right church. You can't call yourself the believer's city and not be a believer. You've got to be a believer. Shout, "Yes," somebody. Oh, to be with Jesus. It's an amazing thing to be with Jesus. I love being with you, but there's nothing like being with Jesus. If you get with Jesus, He causes dead men to walk. He causes lame men to be healed. He caused the man with the withered hand to stretch forth his hand.
Oh, to be with Jesus. He cleanses lepers without touching them. He speaks His word, and leprosy is healed, and their fingers stop falling off, and their diseases are mutated, and they are set free because He's got that kind of power. Oh, to be with Jesus. He walks on water. He heals the sick. He raises the dead. He turns water into wine. Oh, to be with Jesus. I'm talking about Jesus, the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star. I'm talking about the Son of God. I'm talking about the God-Man, not just the good man—the God-Man. I'm talking about Jesus. And Jesus had something on Him that was so strong, it drew people. It drew masses of people. It's not going to be how long your eyelashes are that's going to draw it. It's not going to be having a weave down to your knees. God's going to give you favor, and they're going to supernaturally be drawn to you.
Thousands of men followed Jesus. They wanted to hear what He had to say. And so, in this situation, God does this controlled environment situation. It's a laboratory experiment; it's a controlled environment. Some of you have been going through some tests, but it's been in a controlled environment. He never let it get out of control. You didn't know how it was going to turn out, but He put hedges around your hell. I'm gonna say that again: He put hedges around your hell. I want to go to the book of Job and remind you that God told Satan, when the sons of God gathered around the throne, "Have you considered my servant Job?" Satan said, "You know I can't touch Job; you've got hedges around him." Some of the things you didn't get because God had hedges around you.
Some diseases you didn't get 'cause God had hedges around you. Some downfalls you didn't have 'cause God had hedges around you. That's why you ought not look down your nose at other people who fell into stuff that they fell into. The only reason you didn't fall is 'cause God had hedges around you. And God didn't give Satan permission to attack you in that way. He's got you covered on the right side and the left side. He's got you covered on the north, the south, the east, and the west. You walked right by people with COVID and didn't catch it because God had hedges around you. He covered you with His wings, with His feathers. He covered you because He is the master. He leads; He controls. And even when it feels like it's out of control, it's never out of control.
The Power of the Word & The Setup in the Desert
Jesus started preaching as only He could preach, and they followed Him. They followed Him into the desert. It's one thing for somebody to follow you to the beach; anybody could follow you to the beach. They followed Him into a dry place because of the way He spoke. Peter told Him, "I can't leave you; in your mouth are the words of eternal life." To hear Jesus preach would be absolutely amazing because the words that He speaks are spirit, and they are life. Five thousand men, not to mention women and children, followed Him into the desert, hot desert, lonely desert, just to get a word from Him. Think about that with me a minute. He had no PA system. He had no sound system. He had no lights on Him. He had no business cards to hand out. He couldn't do no radio promotions.
He couldn't put Himself on Twitter. He couldn't put Himself on TikTok. He couldn't put Himself on Facebook. And still, five thousand people followed Him into the wilderness just to catch a glimpse, a word, a thought, an idea. With no microphone at all, He mesmerized the crowd, and they stayed to hear Him preach all day. In all the accounts of the miracle that happened with the thousands that followed Him—at one time seven thousand, another time five thousand—in all the time that it occurred, it never tells us what He preached. It tells us what happened around what He preached, but the text never tells the content of the sermon that He preached. I would love to know what He preached that made five thousand men walk out into the desert and want to hear Him so bad that they'd rather faint than miss His next point.
I'd rather faint; I'd rather pass out under the hot sun; I'd rather collapse in the heat rather than miss what He said. Jesus was speaking, and they were following Him. They were not under a spell; they were not coerced; they were not demanded; they were not aggregated through violence. Nobody had an AK-47. They followed Him because His word had so much power that they had become addicted to His word. Some of you have become addicted to His word. There was a time that people only came to church when there was a good singer, and they were addicted to the music. But this generation coming along now, we're not going for the fluff. We're going for the word. We're going for the word from God. One word from God.
The word has so much power that the Bible says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not." Now, there was a man sent from God whose name was John. He was not that light but was sent to bear witness of that light, saying, "There is one coming after me who is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to latch. I indeed baptize you with water, but he is going to baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." And the Word was made flesh. Get that: the Word was made flesh, speaking of the incarnation of Jesus. The intangible was made tangible. The untouchable was made touchable. The abstract was made concrete. The Word was made flesh. This is what our faith is all about.
The devil laughs at us because we get happy about words, but he doesn't know that words don't stay words. Words are the birth canal through which promises come. And the Word was made flesh. Jesus, my God. To follow Jesus, I'd go anywhere. To follow Jesus, I'd endure anything. To follow Jesus, I would follow Him if I had leprosy. I would follow Him if I was blind and had to grope like blind Bartimaeus. I would follow Jesus if I was bleeding like the woman with the issue of blood. I would follow Jesus if I was lame and halt and blind—to follow Jesus, to get to hear just a word from Jesus, could change their life. So five thousand men would rather follow Jesus than miss a word that He said. And they were willing to faint before they would leave because never a man spoke like He spoke.
Never a man stood in time and spoke to eternity and said, "Lazarus, come forth." And He spoke from time into eternity, and Lazarus came out of eternity back into time, leaping. And if He hadn't called Lazarus by name, then all of the resurrection would have been provoked to come out because He has so much power in His word that when He speaks His word, something's got to move. If you've got even a little bit of Holy Ghost down in you, when I speak the word of God, something inside of you has got to leave. Even if you're shy, even if you're an introvert, even if you're quiet, even if you don't want to get with me, even if you don't like me, it ain't about me. It's about the word. If you've got something in you that resembles the Holy Ghost, when the word goes out, something begins to happen down inside of you.
And all of a sudden, they follow Jesus out into the desert. And the disciples come to Jesus. Look at the hierarchy: five thousand men, not to mention women and children; twelve disciples; one Jesus. It wasn't team ministry; the twelve weren't team captains. They all were following Jesus. And the Bible says that as they followed Jesus, the disciples came to Him and said, "We've got a problem. We've got a problem, Jesus." You've got to have some people in your church that come to you and say, "We've got a problem." Because the people are about to faint, and we need to feed them. We have nothing to feed them with, and we're going to send them home. And Jesus says something I want you to get. He says, "They need not depart." They don't have to go nowhere. What they need is right here.
Even though you don't see it, it's right here. Even though it hadn't manifested yet, it's right here. Even though it hasn't revealed itself, it's right here. They need not depart. You don't have to go to the east or the west. God said, "I'm going to put it where you can get it, and it's going to happen the way it's supposed to happen." And all they have to do is wait on it. All they have to do is wait on it. Look at somebody and say, "All you have to do is wait on it. It's right here." All of you people that's been telling people you live by yourself, you're lying. He's in your house. He's in your car. He's in your kitchen. He's in your bedroom. He's in your garage. He's with you when you stop to get gas.
That's why they couldn't mug you. They mugged a whole lot of people, but they couldn't get you 'cause He went with you to go get some gas at midnight and always covered you. And you've been covered by the blood of the Lamb. And if you never get the Mercedes, and if you never get the house on the hill, you ought to praise God that you survived all the things that could have happened, that would have happened, that should have happened. God's presence is absolutely amazing. But I am struggling here because every other miracle that I can think of in the Bible that Jesus did had a purpose. The woman with the issue of blood: if He had not touched her, she would have died. She had spent all of her substance on worthless physicians and only grew worse.
The ten lepers were about to die. I can see why Jesus would do a miracle. The man with the withered hand was incapacitated and couldn't work, and if you couldn't work, you couldn't eat. I can see why Jesus would do a miracle. Blind Bartimaeus sat by the highway side begging. I can see why Jesus would do a miracle because, for the most part, 95% of them were emergency miracles. But this one, this one is not an emergency. The disciples had a solution: "Send them away into the towns to get food." And yet Jesus says, "They need not depart." And He kept them there, and He fed them there, but He never finished preaching. So it wasn't about the sermon, or we would see the continuation of the text in His preaching.
He set them in a place and in an environment so that He could show them who He was. He is in control of the whole situation. It's a setup. They didn't hear me; let me try y'all. It's a setup. The whole thing is a setup. I don't know who I'm talking to, but I'm not just talking about the five thousand. The thing you've been worried about, the thing you've been praying about, the thing that's been getting on your nerve—it's a setup. It's not even about what you think it's about. God has allowed certain circumstances to collide in such a way that He would set you in a position that if God doesn't do it, it can't be done. And the thing you're worried about is not even the issue. God just used the issue to get your attention.
To get your consecration, to get you on your knees, to get you back on your game. God just used the situation to draw you closer to Him, to get you near Him. I don't know who I'm talking to, but I'm talking to somebody. God is using the situation to get you closer. That sickness you went through, that hospital visit, that car wreck, that situation that you're in right now and you're all worried about and you can't sleep at night—go to bed, get some rest. It ain't no problem. It's a setup. It's a setup in a controlled environment because God is going to show you His power in the desert. God shows you stuff in the desert that you couldn't learn any other place. So stop praying that you don't go through the desert because God is at His best when you are at your worst.
When you are weak, then God is strong. When you are poor, then God is rich. You can be in a situation of total isolation, and God can come in and still work His power because He doesn't need your help. He doesn't need your cooperation. He doesn't need your vote. He doesn't need your power. He doesn't need anything you have to do what He wants to do because He's God all by Himself. Any preacher worth his salt doesn't need your "amen." We love your amens, but we don't need your amens. I preached for two years in an empty building with nobody in it at all and preached and shouted and danced and went on. You know why? My Holy Ghost don't come from you. My Holy Ghost comes from me.
I've got the power of God down inside of me. And as long as God is moving down inside of me, I could preach in a room full of witches. I could preach in a room full of warlocks. I could preach in a room full of haters. I can preach in a room full of enemies. I can preach in another country. I can preach with an interpreter. I can preach with somebody throwing rocks at me. If God be for me, who can be against me? Anybody got the word down in you like that? And it works like that. Those of you that got it like that, make some noise. Let me hear you for a minute.
From Provision to Walking on Water
So Jesus sets them up, and the thing that gets me about it is He is an accountant. I saw my brother who was an accountant. Jesus was a bit of an accountant because He had them sit down into groups of fifty. He organized them with order and structure so that they were all sitting in groups of fifty. He knows exactly how many people He's got to feed. Yet when He gets to feeding them, He has twelve baskets full left—not just enough, but more than enough. He's got twelve baskets full left, and He's got twelve disciples. Y'all watch what I'm saying; I'm going somewhere. I'm going somewhere. I'm headed somewhere. And that means that I didn't have to be covetous over your basket because I had my basket. Yeah. I don't have to hate on you 'cause I got my own basket.
Look at somebody and say, "Get your own basket." I got a basket that's got my name on it. I got a basket that He built just for me that He had in mind for me. I got an overflow basket that God had in mind. And you can't steal it, and you can't take it, and you can't touch it, and you can't move it because He already considered not only where I am but where I'm going. And if I get hungry along the way, I got something in my basket for anything I will ever have to face. And they left there in a boat while Jesus goes apart on the mountaintop to pray. And He leaves them alone. Now, remember this: He leaves them alone, and they start sailing across the sea, and the storm arises.
The lightning begins to flash, and the thunder begins to roll, and Jesus waits 'til it's at its worst to come to them. And He comes walking on the water. And as He's walking on the water to come toward them—I know you know the story—as He's walking on the water to come to them, you can't help but sense that this miracle makes no sense except for the fact that it becomes a canvas that God is showing what He can do on the whole desert. The desert to storm is all God showing what He can do with it. Oh, I missed a miracle. When He got ready to set them down, one writer says He set them down, and they sat down in the grass. My problem with that is grass don't grow. Y'all don't hear what I'm saying: grass don't grow in the wilderness.
Somebody in here, you're in a wilderness, and you still got grass growing in the middle of your wilderness because God got grass for you. God got a lawn. Your lawn is green, and you're in a dry place, and at your age, you shouldn't be sitting in no grass. But you got grass. You too young for it; you too old for it; you too tall; you too short. But God will give you grass in the desert. And He set them in the desert. God is up to something. What He is doing is giving you a context through which you can face whatever you're going to face the rest of your life because you have the baskets full left. And He says, "Have you forgotten the twelve baskets? Have you forgotten what I did for the seven thousand, for the five thousand? Have you forgotten?"
So the Holy Spirit is asking you today, "Have you forgotten all the things I brought you through? All the ways I've made? Have you forgotten what I did for you? I took care of you when you was a baby, and you didn't even know how to call on My name. I stopped you from being a breach birth and allowed you to be born. I took care of you when everybody forsook you. Have you forgotten the fish and the loaves? Have you forgotten how I provided for you when he walked out? I walked in. When he wouldn't pay alimony nor child support, I came in, and I met your needs according to My riches in glory. Have you forgotten how I gave you your job? Have you forgotten how I made a way out of nowhere?
Have you forgotten how the people came thinking they were coming to your funeral, and you were walking around alive and well? Have you forgotten the fish and the loaves?" I bet you everybody in here has got a basket full of testimonies, a basket full of proof that God is on your side, a basket full of proof that identifies you as a child of God. And in the midst of it all, you know He's there 'cause you've got—it's in my basket. It's in my basket. I can get it out of my basket. If you don't help me, I'm okay. It's in my basket. Look at somebody and say, "Get your own basket. Get your own basket." I got everything I need in my basket. I got enough stuff in my basket that if you don't help me, if you don't go with me, if you don't support me, I still be all right because it's in my basket.
I carry it with me. I got a testimony. I remember what He did for my child. I remember what He did when my mama was sick. I remember what He did for my son. I remember what He did for my dad when my dad was sick. God's got a basket for you. And when God's got something for you, nobody can take what God has for you. Nobody can remove what God has for you. No matter how they coveted and lust for it, they can't take away the fact that God's got a basket with your name on it. And so they're on the boat with twelve baskets and twelve men. And Jesus waits to the worst part of the night, and He comes walking on the water. He comes walking on the water. And that brings me to what I want to talk about. You thought that was the sermon? I'm just getting ready.
Perception, Permission, and Stepping Out
Out of all twelve men and all twelve baskets, only one perceived that it was Jesus. Everybody else thought it was a ghost. So I want you to write down "perception" because your direction is going to come through your perception. While other people think it's a ghost, only one of them had the perception; he perceived that it was Jesus. You have to perceive that it's Jesus when it's night and it's dark and it's a desert and it's a storm. You have to perceive that it's Jesus. So you're trying to rebuke something that's really Jesus. They think it's a ghost, but it's really Jesus. You're trying to get out of something you don't want to go through, but it's really Jesus showing up in another form. They just left Jesus, and now they don't recognize Him because He's coming in another form.
God is going to show up in your life in another form: different from the form of your children, different from the form of your childhood, different from the form of your church. I'm not talking about the churchy God. I'm talking about God meeting you in the elevator. I'm talking about God showing up in the garage. I'm talking about God meeting you in the hospital. He showed up, and one person perceived that it was God. So your perception has got to be keen. "Lord, is this you?" You can't rebuke it if it's God. Some of you are trying to rebuke stuff that God ordered for you to go through so that when you go through it, you're going to come out stronger because you perceive that it's God. And as long as you don't let Satan steal your perception, and you lose your vision—for without a vision, the people perish.
As long as you keep the perception that God is with you—even when they laid you off, if you perceive that God's about to open up another door; even when somebody walked out, if you perceive that it's the beginning of another blessing in your life—if you perceive it, God is going to take you through. Peter perceived that it was God, but he still didn't move without permission. So we're moving from perception to permission because I can only do what God permits me to do. And worship is to seek His permission. It's not to dance all over the church because you can dance all over the church and still not perceive, and still not perceive that it's Jesus, and still not ask for permission. Throw your hands up and say, "Lord, give me permission."
If God gives me permission, no stone can stop me from rolling past. No situation can stop me. All I need is permission. And Jesus says to him one word: "Come." Now, you heard me. I'm glad you heard. He says, "Come." Now, that's not the way I want God to talk to me? I want God to tell me, "Come." But understand, when you step out, it's not going to feel like the boat. Your feet are going to get wet, and the wind is going to be blowing, and they're not going to support you, and all your friends are going to call you a fool, and you're going to be out there by yourself for a certain amount of time before anybody begins to recognize that it was Me in this situation. See, I like details. I like God to give me detail: "You're going to be broke for six months, but after six months, I'm going to open up a door."
I want God to give me details, to tell me, "You're gonna lose this job over here, but you're gonna meet somebody in the grocery store and get another job over here." But God doesn't always give details. He'll just say, "Come." He won't tell you how to come. He won't tell you what it's going to feel like. He won't tell you how you feel about it. This generation is so worried about how you feel about it. He didn't ask Peter how he felt about it. Peter didn't have time to call his therapist. Peter didn't have time to sit with his doctor. Peter didn't have time to talk about his childhood. Peter didn't have time to talk about his lack of education. Peter didn't have time to talk about, "I've been fishing all my life." He just said, "Come." And Peter stepped from one dimension right over into another.
Good God almighty. You know you're one step of standing in the miraculous power of God at all times. You don't hear what I'm saying: one step away. You're one step. You could take a step right now and step into the supernatural and step into a miracle. You could take a step, and depression couldn't chase you. Hard times couldn't chase you. Sickness couldn't chase you. Disease couldn't chase you. One step, and you're standing on another ground where they can't reach you. They can talk about you, but they can't reach you. They can hate on you, but they can't reach you. They can roll their eyes, but they can't reach you. They can text about you; they can tweet about you, but they can't reach you because you just stepped.
Somebody just stand and just take a step any direction. You're that close to what's next in your life. You're that close to the next miracle in your life. You're that close to what God is going to do in your life. You're that close to it. That's why the devil wants you to give up because he knows you're so close to the breakthrough now that if you take a step right now, everywhere your feet trod, God is going to give it to you. Let me speak to the church: everywhere your feet trod, God is going to give it to you. Don't worry about flesh. Don't worry about self. Don't worry about finance. Don't worry about anything. Everything you need is about to break loose in your life. Glory to God.
If it costs millions, guess what? God's going to raise up millionaires. If it costs thousands, God's going to raise up thousands. If it costs millions, God's going to send a billionaire. Whatever you need, you're one step away. Somebody take a step. I'm stepping into the supernatural for 2026. I'm stepping into the supernatural. I'm tired of fighting these demons by myself. I'm tired of going in and out of depression. I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself. I'm tired of thinking back into the past and worrying about stuff I can't change. Some of them folks who hurt me are dead. I don't have time to stay back there. God kept me alive for a reason. Excuse me, I got to walk into this next dimension.
Because when God releases this next dimension, I'm going to have an experience with God that nobody else in the Bible ever had from Genesis to Revelation. Peter is the only person that can testify that he walked on water. Nobody else walked on the water like Peter did because he asked for permission. And because he perceived Him and asked for permission, he walked into something. Now, watch this: you're going to walk into something. It's going to be a blessing, but it's going to be a scary blessing. It's going to be a blessing, but it's going to make you nervous. It's going to be a blessing, but it's going to feel unfamiliar. It's going to be a blessing, but you're going to walk into an environment that only fish are comfortable with.
It's going to be a blessing, but God is about to set you up in a situation where you're going to walk on what other people drowned in. That's why you can't let them talk you out of what you're about to step into because God's going to give you the power to walk on top of what other people went under in. I'm sorry you went under; I'm praying for you; I hope you get yourself together. But God told me to come. And if God told me to come, I'm going to walk on what other people drowned in because the God I serve, the God I serve controls the winds and the waves. The God I serve speaks to the sea and says, "Here and no further." The God I serve separates the firmaments above the waters from the firmaments that are beneath.
The God I serve split the Red Sea like it was a piece of bread and sent His children across on dry ground. The God I serve can do anything but fail. The God I serve can use a serpent and use the symbol of what bit me to turn around and heal me. The God I serve can make it rain down manna from heaven right in front of my door. The God I serve can stop me from being burned though you threw me in the fire. The God I serve will make a pillow out of a lion's belly and let me sleep in peace. Don't worry about me because you see me laying on the lion; I'm cool with the lion. I'm not worried about the lion because the God I serve has got me covered.
Some of y'all are laying on lions now. Them people ain't for you; they not with you; they don't like you; they don't want you to succeed. But God's going to make their belly a pillow for you. And He's going to cause you to lay down in green pastures and prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemy. Glory to God. And when they come looking for you to be eaten up in the morning, you're going to be walking around with lions. Hallelujah. Touch somebody and say, "Look for me; I'm going to be walking. Look for me; I'm going to be walking. I'm going to be walking. They're not going to bite me. They're not going to eat me. They're not going to destroy me. They're not going to hurt me. Look for me; I'm going to be walking. I'm going to be standing."
I'm going to be there because I am living. Third "P": in His presence. In His presence there is fullness of joy, and at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore. And as long as I'm in His presence, it makes no difference whether I'm on the boat, in the water, or on the land. The only thing that matters is that I'm in His presence. If I get to His presence, you can't do nothing with me. If you're gonna take me out, you better try to take me out before I get in His manifest presence. Once I get in His manifest presence, I am super bad. I got superpowers. I can leap through the air. Once I get in His presence—I'm getting older now—but when I get in His presence, it'll roll back forty years. Once I get in His presence, God will do amazing stuff for me.
Does anybody in here know what God's presence will do for you? How He'll add to your faith virtue, how He'll open doors for you, how He'll make your enemies your footstools, how He'll make people bless you who said they hated you because you are in His presence. If you know what I'm talking about, make some noise in this place. And I asked myself, why did Jesus allow this to even happen, this storm? Because He has proven to us that He could stop the storm. And yet He allowed the storm. Watch this: there are some storms God stops. But the same God and the same disciples—sometimes He will let you go through something that you wanted to avoid because He's trying to teach you something that's more important than the wetness, the water, the lightning, the thunder, the dryness, the drought, the desert.
It doesn't matter. He's got you right where He wants you to be so that you can walk in His presence. See, let me break the presence down for a minute. God is omnipresent; He's here all the time. But I'm not just talking about His omnipresence; I'm talking about His manifest presence. If you ask Him to manifest Himself—if you lay your hand on that tumor right now and ask Him to manifest Himself—He'll touch your body right now, right where you are. If you're watching on TV and you keep having migraine headaches, and you lay your hands on your head and say, "Lord, manifest your presence," God will manifest His presence in your head, in your brain cells, in your tissues, in your bones because He's got it like that. He can do it like that. Come on, talk to me, somebody.
And he's praising God because he's in the presence of God. And now as he walks along, he gets to a place, and this is what gets on my nerves. It gets on my nerves about preaching. It kind of gets on my nerves just a little bit, just a little bit on my nerve because sometimes all they do is talk about Peter sinking. They don't never talk about Peter walking. Do you not know that Peter is the only one in the Bible that got to walk on water? It's worth sinking a little bit. It's worth getting into a little bit of debt. It's worth having a few sleepless nights to get to see Jesus from a position that you never saw Him before. Am I talking right in here? Am I in the right church? Am I talking to the right people?
Does this message line up with anything going on in your life right now? Hallelujah. God has given you permission to move into a realm of the spirit that you have never been in before. And all people want to talk about is you beginning to sink. At least I got to go. I said, at least I got to go. You sitting up on the boat rolling your eyes at me, but you don't have a thing to know about what it's like to walk on the water. I got to go. I had the experience with God that is utterly amazing. And there in the midst of Peter sinking, the Bible said—no, excuse me. Thank you, Lord. The Bible didn't say "sunk"; it said he began to sink. He began to sink. I can't leave that "began" out. He didn't sink; he began to sink.
That's somebody's word right there. You, you—just 'cause you began to sink don't mean you going to go sink. Somebody say, "It ain't over." It ain't over. You might see me begin to sink, but before I sink, God is going to do something. And the Bible said that Jesus stretched forth His hand. I don't know how far away Jesus was from Peter when he began to sink, but I know that His hand is strong enough to stretch far enough to reach you where you are and pull you up out of your situation. He will stretch His hand to get you, to get you back out of the trouble you're in. And then He gets the pleasure of walking back. Look at how cool this is: He's walking back with Jesus like they're walking on the beach somewhere.
And all the people who were sitting back on the boat talking about him are standing there astounded because Peter's like, "Yo, yo, yeah, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Yeah, thank you, Jesus. Hallelujah. Glory to God. We showed them, didn't we? We showed them. Do it. We showed them." And Jesus walks him back to the baskets. And the baskets are provision. Get this: if you lose everything else I said, God will lead you to the provision. It might feel like an idea in your head and a thought that's crazy, but it's God leading you to the provision. And Peter comes back to the baskets, and God will bring you right back to the baskets, and He's going to do it in a supernatural way.
Conclusion: Your Divine Takeaway
Last point; I get to close. Three times I grew up in the Baptist church. From that point on, even backsliding, Peter, when he sees Jesus, leaps off the boat and starts swimming toward Jesus so that he can get near Jesus. Leaves, I think it's, 163 fish for one Jesus. And all of his partners started bringing in the fish. The closer he got to Jesus, he smelled cooked fish. God will prepare a table before you. You don't have to scale it; you don't have to cut it; you don't have to fry it; you don't have to bake it. When God gets through taking you through this, you're going to swim right into the presence of what God is about to do in your life. Hallelujah. Lift your hands and worship Him.
If you feel Him lead you into something—something you never done before, something fresh and something exciting—God wants to do it for you. Now, as we come to the end of this message, there are some of you, you're going into new territory. It's not familiar to you. You're walking in places you never had to walk before. And you've been feeling a little nervous about it. And you're trying to believe God, but you're a little bit scared, to be honest with you. But God sent this message to you today to let you know, "I will never leave you; I will never forsake you. I will meet you where you are. Just because you begin to sink doesn't mean that you're going to sink. I will make sure that you come out of it.
I will make sure that you survive. I will make sure that you get everything that I want you to get out of it because I want you to get a divine takeaway. I'm going to give you something that's going to stay with you the rest of your life. When you're an old woman knitting in a rocking chair, you're gonna be telling your grandchildren how God provided for you." God wants you to have something to take away. God doesn't want you to just go to church and come back home; God wants to give you something to take away. Lift your hands and open your mouth and begin to praise Him. Praise Him right out of your mouth. Praise Him out of your mouth.
Everybody that's got a dream, everybody that's got an expectation, everybody that's got a hope, everybody that's believing God for something—I don't care who's looking at you—you don't have time to worry about it. Raise your hands and begin to glorify God. I know something's about to happen in my life. It wakes me up at night. It stirs me up. It won't let me sleep; it won't leave me alone. I know God is about to do something in my life that's going to stay with me the rest of my life. And I'm not leaving until I get it. So back up, every devil. Back up, every foul spirit. Back up, every voice of doubt. Back up my past, my pain, my fear, my insecurity.
This is going to happen, and it's going to happen for me. I don't deserve it, but it's mine. I don't deserve it, but it's mine. I didn't pay for it, but it's mine. I don't understand it, but it's mine. And I'm going to praise Him if I have to praise Him in the water. If I have to praise Him with my feet wet, if I have to praise Him by myself, I will praise the Lord because He's got a blessing prepared for me. And when I get to Jesus, my eyes have not seen, nor my ears heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, what God has in store for them that love Him. And I'm sorry for doubting You. And I'm sorry for questioning You. And I'm sorry for fearing. And I'm sorry for not accepting this gift.
I say, "Yes." Somebody holler, "Yes." I say, "Yes, Lord." I say, "Yes, Lord. Yes to Your will. Yes to Your method. Yes, Lord. Yes to Your way. Yes to who left. Yes to who stayed. I say yes, Lord. My soul says yes. My mind says yes. My heart says yes. My plans say yes. My kidneys say yes. My liver says yes. My lungs say yes. My eyes say yes. My nose says yes. My toes say yes. From the crown of my head, I still say yes. Yes, You're going to do it in my lifetime. Yes, You're going to do it in the presence of my enemies. Yes, You're going to do it until heaven shakes. Yes, You're going to do it until the victory breaks loose." I hear a "yes" in this room. I hear a surrender in this room.
I hear God saying to somebody, "I'm going to take you into new territory. Your old friends aren't going to stand it, but you're going into a new room." Get ready for God to move you into a new area. The place you're in is dried up, but God is going to supply your needs. Lift your hands and say, "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes. Yes, Lord. With friends around me, yes. When friends are gone, yes. When my family is falling apart, yes. When I need a breakthrough right now, I trust You right in the middle of the desert. You will do it now. And I receive it in my spirit. I receive it. I receive it. I don't understand it, but I receive it. Yes, Lord. Yeah. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. So say yes. So say yes. Say yes. My soul says yes. So say yes. My soul says yes. Soul says yes. My soul says yes. Have Your way. Have Your way. Holy Ghost, have Your way. Have Your way. Have Your way. Have Your way.
Now, listen clearly at this. If you've been in a place betwixt and between, a little indecisive, and you like details, and God just gave you a word, and you've been a little worried, but you know in your spirit that God is going to do something in your life—you know it 'cause you look back at your basket; you remember what He did; He's going to do it again—come quickly down to this altar right now and let me pray with you. It's not just the church that's in transition; you're in transition. Have Your way. You're in transition. It's uncomfortable; it's scary; it's uncertain. We need You, Lord. We need You, Lord. We need You, Lord. We need You, Lord. Oh, we need You, Lord. We need You, Lord. Have Your way. Have Your way, Lord. Have Your way. Yeah, Lord, have Your way. Lord, have Your way. Lord, have Your way. I doubt You not. I doubt You not. I doubt You not. I doubt You not. I doubt You not. I doubt You not. I doubt You not.
I want you to, as a point of contact, put your hand on somebody's shoulder until they know that they are not alone, until they understand that these are the times that require a different level of faith. We can't have church as usual. We're in a place where we need God to move on our behalf. Press down on that shoulder. That's how close you are to the breakthrough. If you give up now, you're going to miss everything God has for you. He's going to do it for you. He's going to do it for you. He's going to do it for you. I'm talking about a public blessing. I'm talking about a blessing you can't hide from. I'm talking about a blessing so plain and so sure that all doubt is moved out of your mind.
And as you press on that shoulder, I want you to give Him the best praise you got. I want you to give Him the best praise. I want you to give Him the best praise. Give Him your best praise. I want you to give Him the best praise. Give Him your best praise. I want you to give Him the best praise. Give Him your best praise. I just want you to give Him the best praise. Give Him your best. I want you to give Him the best praise. Give Him your best from out of your belly. Out of your way, Lord. I thank You, Lord. I thank You. My faith is growing. My prayer life is growing. I thank You. I thank You on the inside. I thank You on the outside. I thank You for miracles. I thank You for it. I thank You for it. Come on, I can't hear you, church. Lord, I thank You. Lord, I thank You. Lord, I thank You. Lord, I thank You. Lord, I thank You.
I want her. I want her. This was Your word. This was Your word. This was Your answer. This is God touching you. Have Your way, Jesus. Have Your way, Jesus. Have Your way. Have Your way. Thank You, God. Have Your way, Jesus. Have Your way, Jesus. Have Your way. Have Your way, Jesus. Have Your way. Have Your way. Have Your way, Jesus. Have Your way. Have Your way, Jesus. Have Your way, Jesus. Have Your way, Jesus. Have Your way, Jesus. Oh, this is my time. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes, I trust You. Yes. Yes, I trust You. Everybody lift your hands and say, "Yes, I trust You. Yes, I trust You. I trust You, Lord. I trust You, Lord. I trust You, Lord. I trust You, Lord. Yes, Lord, I trust You. I trust You, Lord."
I want to fill this room with praise. Yes, Lord. I want to fill this room with praise, God, until His garments fill the temple, until the cherubim cry, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts." I can't hear you. "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts." Lord, I expect miracles. God, I expect deliverance. Yes, Lord. I expect healing. Yes, Lord. I expect overflow. Yes, Lord. I expect overflow. Yes, Lord. Come on, let me hear you. Yes, Lord. Let me hear you. Let me hear you. Let me hear you. Let me hear you. Let me hear you. Let me hear you. Let me hear you. Holy music. Let God hear His people. Open your mouth and praise Him. God wants to hear your voice. God wants to hear your voice. I want your voice to hit the throne room right now.
I want your voice to open up before God. I want doubt to lift up off you. Fear will lift up off you. Anxiety, lift up off you. Hallelujah. I know it's a different place. I know it's a different circumstance. I know it's a different situation. But God is going to do it for you. Let me hear you give God glory. Let me hear you give God praise. Let me hear you glorify and thank Him. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. My God. My God. My God. My God. We're not going to wait on the new year to have a new year. We're going to start a new year in the old year. Anybody with me on that? Can you receive that? Do you have the power to believe God that you don't need January 1 to start your new year? Right now, your new year starts today. Today. Your new year starts today. Your new year starts today. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
I'm believing Him. You will not go home like you came. You won't go to work like you can. You won't make decisions like you used to because your new year is starting today. As it starts today, as it starts today, you're going to gather up all of the things that God has ever done in your life as divine takeaways until your basket is full for 2026. It's going to be full of 2025, 2024, 2023, what God did for you in 2015, how God brought you out in 2017. I want you to rehearse all the things that God has already shown you, and you're going to step into it. And by faith—I know it's by faith—but by faith, I want you to touch somebody and tell them, "This is my year." You don't have to leave here. "This is my year." This is my year. This is my year.
Glad you came as a symbol and a token of new direction, of transformation, of reformation, of a willingness to step from the familiar to the unfamiliar, from the boat to the lake. How many of you are ready for the step from the boat to the lake? I'm going to take that step right now. I invite 300 people to sow $365 with me by faith for this coming year, that I receive something today that's going to carry me through what's next. I receive it in my spirit. I receive it in my heart. I receive it in my mind. And every time I'm tempted to die, I'm going to look in my basket. I got enough stuff in my basket. I said I got enough stuff in my basket. I'm equipped for this. So let the lightning flash and let the thunder roll. Whatever be tied, I decree and declare. Say it with me: I decree and declare. I decree and declare that this year, that this year is going to be one of the best years in my life.
Not because life changed, but because I changed, and when I change, everything around me is going to change. I dedicate myself to being a better Christian, a better person. I dedicate myself to stop arguing in my own head, wrestling in my own head, in turmoil in my own head. Peace, be still. Peace, be still, in the name of Jesus. I'm going to walk into it right now. In the name of Jesus.