TD Jakes - Shattering The Norm
You see, routine can kill expectation. Good God. Rituals can kill expectation until everybody is saying what they're supposed to say and doing what they're supposed to do, but we don't expect. While Zacharias was praying. When you pray, you expect God to show up. And the text blows my mind because the very thing they were asking God to do, he did. And it shocked them. God stepped in the synagogue, his house. The Master came to his house and the people who were praying for him were shocked.
When I was preparing this message, the Lord told me he's getting ready to shock you. You've gotten so used to business as usual that you say stuff, but you really don't expect them to change. But God is about to shatter your... Slap three people and tell 'em, "It's gonna shatter". It's gonna shatter, it's gonna shatter, it's gonna shatter, it's gonna shatter, it's gonna shatter, it's gonna shatter, it's gonna shatter, it's gonna shatter, it's gonna shatter, it's gonna shatter. Let me tell you why it's gonna shatter. He heard you.
Zacharias has got his incense and the smell of prayer, the smell of prayer, the smell of prayer, the smell of prayer has changed the atmosphere in the room. That's why prayer is symbolized by incense because it changes the atmosphere. Prayer smells. God can smell something. God can smell the prayers of the saints. The prayers of the saints go up before God as a sweet-smelling savor. God can smell prayer, especially when it's on fire. I'm not talking about the thou and the therefore and the which cause and nevertheless O God, no. I'm talking about a fire, Holy Ghost burning, head-turning prayer.
God can smell prayer. The prayer is important, watch this, because the prayer is the bridge to the pregnancy. You can't have pregnancy without relationship. The prayer is the bridge to the pregnancy. The prayer created the disruption. The prayer shook things up. The prayer started the conversation. The prayer opened the door for Gabriel to come in. God said, "I heard the cry of my people. I heard. I'm tired of you crying. I'm tired of you walking around depressed. I'm tired of you with your head hung down. I'm tired of you forgetting who you are. I'm tired of you feeling sorry for yourself. I'm tired of you believing what the Romans said about you. I heard the cry. And so I'mma shatter your normal".
"What do you mean, you're gonna shatter my normal"? Then Gabriel says to him, watch this, "You've been praying, so you're gonna be pregnant". Now, if I had time, I would emphasize how long he'd been praying 'cause this generation today, we pray a couple of weeks, and if God don't do something, we say there's something wrong with our God. But this old man had been praying for years. He had been praying when his wife was a young woman and all she was was barren. He had prayed till now she was an old woman and even if God healed her barrenness, she was too old to have a baby. But he was still praying.
"The effectual fervent, effectual fervent, effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much". And God says to him, "Your wife's gonna have a baby". He said, "Get out of here, c'mon. C'mon now". You don't understand, all this happened in church. Not at Joe's Pool Hall. You expect doubt to be in the club. If we were in the strip club, I would expect there to be doubt. All this happened in the church. Because church, like everything else, can become normal. He said, "That old woman you're married to is gonna have a baby". "Get out of here".
How can I have a son? Not only is she gonna have a baby, it's gonna be a son. God is specific. It's gonna be a baby. It's gonna be a son. And his name shall be called John. Gonna be a baby, it's gonna be a son, and his name shall be called John. Zacharias said, "Brother, please". How can this be? See, Zacharias was going through the forms of godliness, but his faith had retired a long time ago. He was going to holy places and saying holy things with holy people, but he wasn't really believing it anymore. He was just trying to keep the norms.
I don't want a normal religion. I don't want no normal religion. I didn't come to church to do normal. I could stay at home and do normal. I didn't get up this morning and bathe my body and put on my clothes and drive down the road to do normal. I can do normal by myself. I came here expecting a supernatural outpouring of the Holy Ghost. I came here to experience the power of God. O God, deliver me from normal churches!
And when he told Gabriel all the reasons why he couldn't have a child, Gabriel didn't answer none of the norms. He didn't say, "I'm gonna make her younger. I'mma slip you a Viagra. I'mma play some Luther tonight". I didn't mean to say that, like, out loud. You know how you'll be trying to work stuff out, you know. The angel did not give him a normal answer at all. To every normal reason that he gave the angel why he couldn't have a child, the angel said, "I am Gabriel". Almost like your doubting my word is an insult. "I am Gabriel".
Can I bring that I am Gabriel down? Angels are ministering spirits. It literally means to be a messenger. Means that they cannot speak of themselves. In other words, "This word didn't come from me. This word came from the Lord. I'm not giving you my opinion. I'm telling you what God said. Old Memaw gonna have a baby". He said, "And because you doubt me, because you hold on to normal in the presence of my prophet, because you hold on to practical in the presence of the supernatural", he said, "I'm gonna shut your tongue down. I'm gonna shut your mouth. I'm gonna shut your mouth. I'm gonna shut your mouth 'cause if I let you talk, you gonna mess this up. The power of life and death is in your tongue and I'm gonna shut your mouth down 'cause you've been speaking against yourself all of your life. But in order to get this blessing, I'm about to shut your mouth".
Slap somebody and say, "Shut your mouth". God is about to shut your mouth. God is about to shut your... I feel him doing something, I feel him doing something, I feel him doing something, I feel him doing something. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. He said, "Go deeper". Every time he was ready to do it before, your mouth got in the way. And in order to bring you, and this is the word right out of the text, into your season, he's gonna have to shut your mouth 'cause every time you open your mouth, you have shut down your seasons. And in order to bring this to pass in your life, I'm getting ready to shut your mouth. I know this is not polite, but look at somebody and say, "Shut up".
Stop telling yourself what you can't do. Stop telling yourself what you can't be. Stop telling yourself what you can't have. Stop telling yourself what you can't get. Stop telling yourself what you can't become. Stop telling yourself that it's too late. Stop telling yourself that you've got a record. Stop telling yourself that you don't have enough education. Stop telling yourself you need a man. Stop telling yourself you gotta find somebody. Shut up. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
Wait a minute, there's something else he said. There's something else he said. He told Zacharias, "What I'm getting ready to do in you, I've already got a name for it. I've already locked down a name. I've already locked down a name". Sure, yeah. There's already a name for that business. They didn't get it. There's already a name for that opportunity. I've already locked down a name. I am so specific, I'm not gonna just give you an idea, I'm gonna give you a name. Good God Almighty. It would be enough to have an idea, but God said the idea has a name. Watch this. And the name is John.
Now, if you're not a Bible scholar, you read past what I just said. His name was John. Any scholar will tell you that one of the things that a priest would pass to his son would be his name. This will not be Zacharias, Junior. You can't make him be you. Let go of him. Let go of him. This will not be normal's junior. His name will be John. Later in the Scriptures when he tells the people that the boy's name is John, all the people on the outside said, "John"? They said, "None of our kindred have been called by that name. Ain't nobody in your family named John. Ain't none of your grandfathers named John. Ain't none of your cousins named John. Your uncle is not named John".
Whoever this is for. Whatever God is getting ready to do, it has never happened in your family before. None of our kindred has been called by that name. You will be the first in your family. You will be the first in your family. You will be the first in your family. You will be the first in your family. You will be the first in your family. You will be the first in your family. You will be the first in your family. You will be the first in your family. You will be the first in your family.
Can I stop right here and break every generational curse? Can I break every generational curse that's ever been on your life? Shout "Yes". Shout "Yes". Shout "Yes". Zacharias came out the temple. All he could do was make signs 'cause he couldn't talk. Holy Ghost said, "I'mma put you in a situation where you can't mess this one up. I'mma put you in a situation where you can't mess this one up. And I'mma put you in a situation where you're gonna see that it was me that did this".
Let me tell you what I feel in my spirit right now. I feel innovation. I feel innovation. Let me tell you what I feel in my spirit. I feel innovation, innovation, innovation, innovative ideas, innovative concepts, out of the box, makes no sense. I feel the release of creativity in this room. Lift your hands and receive creativity coming into this room. Creativity. It's gonna be creative. It's not gonna be normal. It's not gonna be coming. It's gonna be created. Creativity is coming in the room. Innovative ideas and concepts are coming in this room. Out of the box, trend-breaking, record-breaking, normal-breaking, moves of the Holy Ghost are in this room. If you receive it, open your mouth, and for 60 seconds, shout to God.