Top 288 Quotes & Sayings by T. D. Jakes

I'm not particularly political. I'm not particularly denominational. I'm not worried about any of that.

I chose to present myself as one who comes from among the people, and I can be touched by their pain because I have my own.

I don't think that you can let the storms of life overwhelm you. When you do that, you are no better than the craziness that caused you to be under attack.

I think the amazing thing about gospel music is that not only does it lift up the death and resurrection of our Lord, which is consistent with the Gospel, but it is uniquely communicated depending upon the generation.

We develop our propensity to forgive or not to forgive by what we see illustrated at the early ages of our development.

I raised five children. They all have different personalities. All of them have different issues, different levels of success. That was a learning experience for me.

We cannot embrace God's forgiveness if we are so busy clinging to past wounds and nursing old grudges.

Here is the amazing thing about Easter; the Resurrection Sunday for Christians is this, that Christ in the dying moments on the cross gives us the greatest illustration of forgiveness possible.

I think that my preaching style and many of my ideas and ideals about faith are based in both Pentecostal and Baptist background.

Forgiveness is about empowering yourself, rather than empowering your past.

When my father died, I had a real experience with Christ, a real conversion with Christ and I had it in a Oneness church.

I was raised in the Baptist church... but I didn't really have a real committed experience with Christ until my father died.

As a Christian, Christ died so that we will have eternal life in Him in Heaven. What it looks like doesn't matter, what it smells like doesn't matter, as long as Christ is there it will be Heaven to me.

My father was a Methodist and my mother was a Baptist.

Children are not unforgiving. You can punish them and they will hug you in a few minutes.

So though there are many things I would have done differently, I submit to God's sovereignty and His purpose in my life and I thank Him that He brought me the way He brought me and gave me what He gave me when He thought I could handle it.

I'm for people bettering themselves, no matter who they are and where they are, doing all they can to be all they can be.

It is your passion that empowers you to be able to do that thing you were created to do.

If you learn how to forgive others for not being strong, then people can learn how to forgive you for your own issues.

My first church had seven members in it, and I have to remember, the rent was $225 a month and I worked for Union Carbide and took the check I made from work to pay for the rent to keep the church open.

I actually grew up playing the piano in the church and was deeply involved in music ministry.

I think most people who get into their 50s reassess what made sense and what didn't make sense.

There is nothing I'm any more passionate than empowering the next generation.

I want to congratulate all the men out there who are working diligently to be good fathers whether they are stepfathers, or biological fathers or just spiritual fathers.

And another thing is that I think as a church whenever we become politically driven, we alienate at least 50 percent of the people that God called us to reach with our political orientations.

But I think my mistakes became the chemistry for my miracles. I think that my tests became my testimonies.

I think the first step is to understand that forgiveness does not exonerate the perpetrator. Forgiveness liberates the victim. It's a gift you give yourself.

I like to see myself as a bridge builder, that is me building bridges between people, between races, between cultures, between politics, trying to find common ground.

I think it is important that we rebuild an atmosphere of forgiveness and civility in every aspect of our lives.

Resist your fear; fear will never lead to you a positive end. Go for your faith and what you believe.

There are no college courses to build up self-esteem or high school or elementary school. If you don't get those values at a early age, nurtured in your home, you don't get them.

The first time I walked on a stage I knew that was what I was created to do. I knew that there was a calling and a sense of purpose in my life that gave me fulfillment and a sense of destiny.

When you make a decision to forgive it's a decision that you have to make intellectually.

One of the things about my ministry is that I have never branded myself as being above the people or superior to people.

We think that forgiveness is weakness, but it's absolutely not; it takes a very strong person to forgive.

I don't dislike anybody. I love everybody.

There are some fires you can't get out of- you've got to go through the fire - you've got to go through the flood - you've got to go through the test - you've got to go through the struggle that you might decrease and he might increase.

Real value isn’t in what you own, drive, wear or live. The greater value is found in love and life, health and strength, friends and family!

Somebody is n the hospital begging God for the opportunity u have right now. Step into your moment.

If you think down, you will go down. If you think up, you will go up. You’ll always travel in the direction of your thinking.

Not everyone will be happy when you begin to better yourself. Those who are for you will not just celebrate in your triumphs, but they will also pray with you through your tribulations.

When you begin to realize that your past does not necessarily dictate the outcome of your future, then you can release the hurt. It is impossible to inhale new air until you exhale the old.

If you dont like the way your life is going, redesign it. Redeem the years you lost. Restore your vision, revive your passion for living, and reclaim what was dormant inside of you. I cannot give you the dream but I can give you the tools to reach the dreams you have inside.

You can't be who you are going to be and who you used to be at the same time.

Your words will tell others what you think. Your actions will tell them what you believe.

God is not preparing the Blessing for YOU, He is preparing YOU for the Blessing

Come hell or high water you will never take me back to the place I was before. I have been through too much to let life whoop me again. My faith is stronger than it's ever been, my mind is more tenacious than it's ever been, my soul is more absolute.

When people walk away from you, let them go. Your destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you, and it doesn't mean they are bad people. It just means that their part in your story is over.

God is a businessman. He is not going to do business with someone who shows no sign of potential return. He invests in people who demonstrate an ability to handle what He has given them.

Sometimes what makes us insecure and vulnerable becomes the fuel we need to be overachievers. The antidote for a snakebite is made from the poison, and the thing that made you go backward is the same force that will push you forward.

You cannot change what you will not confront.

Face the giants in your life, slay them, and move on. Do not be daunted by the mistakes and failures in your life.

Don't allow your past or present condition to control you. It's just a process that you're going through to get you to the next level.

There are people who can walk away from you... let them walk. I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you... Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left. And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person, it just means that their part in the story is over. And you've got to know when people's part in your story is over.

Surround yourself with people whose definition of you is not based on your history, but your destiny.

Never make a permanent decision based on a temporary storm.. No matter how raging the billows are today, remind yourself: "This too shall pass!"

As much as it pleases God to bless you, there will be moments when everything you try goes up in smoke. There will be moments when the one you counted on most walks away and leaves you groping through blinding tears and wailing questions of why. Plans and goals can be circumvented by the most disappointing of times, leaving you learning the art of patience and the acceptance of a denied request.

Stop watering things that were never meant to grow in your life. Water what works, what's good, what's right. Stop playing around with those dead bones and stuff you can't fix, its over...leave it alone! You're coming into a season of greatness. If you water what's alive and divine, you will see harvest like you've never seen before. Stop wasting water on dead issues, dead relationships, dead people, a dead past. No matter how much you water concrete, you can't grow a garden.

I have certain standards for myself so if something drops beneath that standard or if the opportunity doesn't fit who I am authentically at my core - I don't invest time where my brand isn't respected or where what I have to offer isn't appreciated.

If you have achieved any level of success, then pour it into someone else. Success is not success without a successor.