T.D. Jakes: This Is How You Can Overcome Temptation | Praise on TBN
T.D. Jakes: This Is How You Can Overcome Temptation | Praise on TBN
T.D. Jakes shares this motivational sermon on TBN’s Praise about surviving difficult times in your wilderness season and overcoming temptation from the enemy.
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he tempted him to turn the stone to bread if he was the son of God but if you know your Bible you know that the Son of God is bread so what are you doing offering [Music] [Applause] me what are you doing offering me you can’t give me Matthew 41-11 I want you to be prepared to take some notes cuz I think I’m going to say some things that are worth remembering I came too far not to say something that’s worth remember I’m not the cheerleader type I I got a I got a word I didn’t bring a Happy Meal I brought
you I brought you some filet [Applause] Mino yeah chicken C don’t blue then was Jesus led up to of the spirit Into the Wilderness to be tempted of the devil imagine that the spirit led him to be tempted of the devil the demons didn’t do it the enemies didn’t do it the haters didn’t do it the Holy Ghost led him into a place of Temptation Of The Devil in the wilderness somebody say the Wilderness Wilderness and when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights he was afterward and hungry and when the tempter came to him he said if thou be
the Son of God command that these Stones be made bread but he answered and said it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceed out of the mouth of God then the devil taketh him up into a holy city and Seth him on a pinnacle of the temple and said unto him if thou be the Son of God cast thyself down for it is written he shall give his angels charge concerning the and in their hands they shall bear thee up lest at any time th should pass th foot against the stone Jesus said unto him it is written again Thou shalt
not tempt the Lord thy God again the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain and show him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them and say unto him all these things will I give thee I’ll give it to you I’ll give it to you you can’t give me I’ll give it to you oh you can’t get I give it to you can’t give me I give it all these things will I give if thou shal Fall Down and Worship me then sayith Jesus unto him get thee get out of my face devil for it is written Thou
shalt Worship the Lord thy God and him only shal thou share then the devil scampered on the way behold the Angels Came and ministered unto him you may be seated in the presence of the Lord You Came can’t give me what’s already mine I I want to spend a little time on this text because I think I think this text is quite profound it it is profound in several uh several ways that are quite notable uh preceding the text Jesus has reappeared after 18 years of obscurity we know nothing about the life of Jesus
from the age of 18 from the age of 12 to the age of 30 18 years of total obscurity that are not shared with us in the text at 30 years old the young man comes down to the Jordan River and runs into the premier preate preacher of his day John the Baptist baptizing in the Jordan nobody knew who Jesus was you know when people don’t know who you are they run over top of you trying to get to who they do know Jesus was just a face in the crowd and while John was baptizing in the Jordan River he said he looked out and
saw him said Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world and in one flash he went from obscurity to notoriety one flash that’s the amazing thing about life one thing can happen and turn everything around that’s why you ought not never commit suicide because one one thing can turn the whole L one one phone call one I don’t care how bad it is I don’t care what you’re going through right now just one one thing can turn everything around John was bapt time and looked up and
glanced and saw him oh look at there there’s the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world they where where where where and God will make somebody point you out you know and uh he’ll make somebody point you out and all of a sudden the crowds parted and Jesus stepped from obscurity to notoriety just steep right into his Destiny and steep right into his purpose steep right into it and came down to the river of Jordan and there he was baptized in the river of Jordan and then the holy then the father
collaborated and coordinated and defined who he was in an even greater way than John could for the Bible said the heavens rolled back and the father spoke from Heaven this is my beloved Son in whom I’m well pleased Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River the Heaven’s rad back the father affirms him the Holy Spirit descends like a dove and this is a great moment great moment awesome moment I mean you know I’ve seen some dedication service and con ation service some coordination services but never where the heavens roll
back and the father spoke from Heaven that that kind of shuts everybody’s mouth when the heavens roll back and the father speaks from heaven and say hear ye him it make you stick your chest out say yeah that’s right he talking about me it’s a great moment it’s a great moment and and then the oxymoron of the moment is that after a magn animous moment the spirit leads him you would think maybe to the temple to preach to the synagogue for coronation you would think would lead him uh to th’s Palace or something to
celebrate for a lunch no leads him into the Wilderness to be tempted of the devil this I can stay there all night yeah yeah Spirit leading me to Wilderness wow and there something that that I can be in God’s Will and God’s will can be God’s will can be in the wilderness God’s will in the wilderness I I I most of the time people get in the wilderness they say you know how in the world could I get in the wilderness the devil did this no the devil didn’t do this Spirit led him into the Wilderness the will of God led him
into the Wilderness anytime time God’s will leads you into a Wilderness it is for a Divine Purpose it is for Divine Purpose and he brought him out there to be tempted of the devil and and and and and this this temptation let’s let’s use the word test this test that he has in the wilderness where he have a confrontation uh with with Satan is is quite powerful I didn’t really get it uh until I was uh touring uh Jerusalem and I was touring I was invited uh to Jerusalem I went on tour in Jerusalem and then I was
a guest of the King of Jordan uh after King Hussein died I was invited uh to go over to make a presentation uh to King adulam who has taken over the throne over in Jordan and so I went from Jerusalem which is in Israel over into Jordan uh which the relationships are strained and our guy that went with us uh he only went to the border and and stopped and at the border there were all these M16s and and and uh and I crossed on over to the other side on the other side of the Jordan on over into Jordan and and I was looking around at the scenery
and my wife was looking at the M16s I was all caught up in what happened in the Bible at this spot and what happened in the Bible at that spot and she was she didn’t even crack her Bible she was just looking at these big M16s everywhere and noticing that our gu’s face was getting smaller and smaller and smaller in the rear viw mirror but I was I was taken away because because over as we crossed over just just not even a mile or so down the road I looked over to the left and there’s this huge mountain and and and
the driver told me that’s that’s Mount Neo and I said oh my God I got to go go up there Mount Neo get that close not go the devil is Al liive I’m going up there so I can stand where Moses stood I needed me a wooden staff so I could go up there and stand on Mount Neo and and oh my God it was amazing my wife didn’t like it but it was amazing I don’t know what’s wrong with her pray for her you know there I am on Mount Neo and when I got to mount Neo you know Mount Neo is a place where mooses ended his journey
that’s where everything came to conclusion and finality of Mount Neo it’s kind of where Moses flunked the test you know and he he could see the promised land but he couldn’t go into the promised land Mount Neo he could see it but he couldn’t go into that’s a torturesome thing to see something you’re forbidden to go into to have more Vision than you have permission that’s a terrible thing it’s a terrible thing it’s very frustrating to see it and not be it actually breaks a law because
generally anything you can see you can be and and but God said My Punishment to you is I’m going to let you see it and not be it all of that happened on Mount Nebo but anyway that’s a distraction for me I got cured away but there I am on the top of Mount Nebo and and to my amazing let me tell you what it look like oh up under the mountain at at the bottom of the mountain everything is parched and dry and Sandy and lifeless and and then the Jordan River is right over here and then on the other side of
the Jordan everything is green and plush and beautiful and I could understand For the First Time what it was like for the children of Israel to get after going through all of those miles of dry mouth parching terrain to finally come to something green a land that flows with milk and honey where the grapes were so big that the Giants guarded The Grapes to be able to come to that place and there he was to see it and all they had to do was cross the Jordan to get to it it but but before they could cross the Jordan
there’s this dry Barren parched Scorch uh lifeless place and that place is the Wilderness wow it is the Wilderness that Israel was coming out of yeah this is the Wilderness that now Jesus is led into it is this Wilderness where Moses flun the test come on come on yeah Moses the Old Testament Pastor wow Moses introduces us to the first time the understanding of the church in the Old Testament is pastored by Moses Ecclesia e out Ecclesia called out Ecclesia Moses called out the children of Israel out of Egypt he was the pastor
of the old church the Old Testament Church and the pastor of the Old Testament church was leading the children of Israel from Egypt to the promised land but the pastor flun the test at the last moment wow it is here at this place where Moses flunks the test just near to this place he flunks the test because you remember how he smoked the rock the first time and the waters came out of the Rock and and and and and and the children of Israel drank it he was supposed to Smite it the first time because the rock is the type of Christ
and for him to Smite it the first time with an indication that he was wounded for my transgressions he was bruised for my iniquities the chastisement of my peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed that was the first lick but when he smoted it the second time he shattered the type because he implied that Christ would be crucified aresh which is which broke the typology but also is a picture of an apostasis children of Israel who believed in then backed away and Hebrews talks about if he be crucified fresh for you have
tasted once of the Heavenly gift to draw back again is to be so so Moses is smiting the second time is not only a picture of a backslidden Israel who once Embraces Christ and then backs away and crucifies him again it also Shadows the typology to say that the first strike was not enough right if I sat down right now that’s enough [Applause] word see and and so here he is here he is Jesus is getting ready to bring the New Testament Church into existence but but he has some old business come on that has to be
cleared up and so the first agenda coming up out of the Jordan is the spirit said you got to fix what Moses broke you you you got to go to the place where the old Pastor blew it and mend the tear to let the devil know that he has not gotten the victory this is a fresh look at an old text because all of a sudden we begin to understand why the prerequisite for Christ starting his ministry now begins with the point that he now stitches reconstructs redefines uh verifies validates and passes the test that Moses flun so he goes into the Wilderness and
he fast y’all with me so far and the Bible says that he was led into the Wilderness to be tempted of the devil it doesn’t say that he was led into the Wilderness to fast it said he was led into the Wilderness to be tempted of the devil but the Bible says that he after he fasted for 40 days so he’s getting ready yeah he’s getting ready he said this is a great showdown at the okay Corral and I got to get ready he fast for 40 days and after he fasted he then being hungry now Satan comes to tempt him to tempt him he’s
been he done that before he’s tempted the last Pastor was frustration and to he’s tempted the last Pastor not only with frustration but to use his power to appease his frustration wow now if you miss that you miss the whole night he the Temptation with Moses he said Moses you got that rod that’s got all the power in and the people got on your have gotten on your nerves use your power to vent your frustration Smite The Rock bless my soul Moses smoked the rock the second time and that stopped him for getting to
the promised land Here Comes Jesus out into the Wilderness and the first test he face is about a rock [Applause] wow tell somebody say I’m back to the Rock again back to the Rock again isn’t it funny how God will bring you full circle and make you confront the very thing that you had to confront before face the place of your failure he will bring you back to the Rock again I’m going to come down here and talk to y’all a little bit is it okay he bring them back to the Rock and here now Jesus has come to the Rock and here
is the issue the Bible says afterward he hungered and and the enemy said uh if thou be the Son of God use your power use your power now to to turn this Stone to bread the last Pastor turned it into water wow said I’m going to augment the test a little bit for you I’m going to I’m I’m going to take it into the next level he says I want you to turn it into Stones I want you to take the stone and turn it into bread I want you to take the stone and turn it into bread I want you to take the stone and and Jesus said
it is written man shall not live by bread alone that’s what he said but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God I I started to preach that you know I started to preach it is written and and and I was going to use the subject throw throw the book at him but I won’t bother that tonight see be because because really what is going on they’re both throwing the book at each other but that’s another thing okay see see yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah this a preachers message y’all got my
back on this yeah so so he says if if uh it is it is written man should not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God now now here’s the irony of it all if thou be the Son of God turn this Stone to bread I got hung up there because if if th be the son of first of all if if thou be he is the Son of God there ain’t no question about that he is the Son of God and the devil knows he’s the son of God or he wouldn’t be tempting him the devil only attacks you when he doesn’t have
[Applause] you from Genesis to Revelations you can show me nowhere in the Bible where Satan have ever fought what was his only church people do that uh Satan is so United that Jesus said of Satan Satan have a kingdom and if that Kingdom be divided against it f how shall it stand even Jesus had to acknowledge that Satan is so unified that he never fights what’s his so the very fact that he’s fighting him indicates that he understands who he is in fact the very fact that he’s fighting you is an indication that he
[Applause] understands are y’all with me you with me in the balcony you with me everywhere touch your neighbor and say the devil knows who I am the knows who I the devil knows who I am the devil knows you know yeah yeah that I know that the devil have intelligence because later in the book you will you will see where where the demon spoke out of a man and said Paul I know and Jesus I know but who are you you ought to do something that lets the devil know who you are or somebody who got that makes some noise
in this place yeah yeah look at somebody say yeah he knows me yeah yeah we we we’ve been at it a few times he knows me I I did enough to be on his radar glory to God you you can’t be sitting there with low self-esteem you must be somebody for him to be fighting you like he’s fighting you you must have a Destiny and a purpose and a calling and a gift over your life somebody shout I am I am oh you didn’t know it but when you said I am you were calling God by his name who shall I say s [Applause]
me I feel it something is going to happen in here tonight can you feel that word just building up just building up just building up somebody’s going to get drenched in the word of God they’re going to get saturated in the word of God you going to go home speaking the word of God tonight every yoke is going to be broken every demon is going to have to move out of your way that storm that’s in your life you going to speak to it and say peace be [Applause] still but wait a minute no no I ain’t got to the point yet I’m not this is
just first point he says so see see I’m I’m I’m I’m I’m I’m caught up in this thing about this this Stone if if thou be the Son of God turn this Stone to bread H Jesus Through the bookhead him and said it is written that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God that was the first clue to me that something was going on because he tempted him to turn the stone to bread M if he was the son of God but if you know your Bible you know that the Son of God is
bread cuz I believe the book said I your fathers did eat Mana in the wilderness but I am the true bread that cometh down out of Heaven If any man eat of this bread he shall never perish again so what are you doing offering [Applause] me what are you doing offering me you can’t give [Applause] me you come in my life like you going to add something to me how you going to add something to me how you going to offer me what I already am do you think I don’t know that I I am the bread that fell down out of Heaven do you not
understand that I’m the guy that took the bread and said take eat this is my body that was broken for you don’t you understand at the Passover I told you my body is bread and how can you T me with what I tell somebody tell me you can’t give me what I already got so he says he says so I’m just talking to you a little bit let’s see so he says he says now now he is offering him the bread Jesus is hungry there’s no doubt about that but he is offering him what he already is the thing that you hunger for you
already got if you hunger for intimacy you have to be an intimate person to be hungry for it if you hunger for love you have to be a loving person to be hungry for it cuz people who are not loving don’t even know what you’re talking about they can’t understand what you’re not satisfied about they don’t even understand what you are looking for because you have to be it to hunger for it if you hunger for excellence it’s only because you are excellent because only excellent people oh y’all ain’t going to talk to
me tonight glory to God look at somebody say I am that I am what I’m looking for is somebody who is a reflection of what I already am somebody who functions on the level that I function somebody who needs what I need and wants what I want somebody who has the same standards that I have and the Very fact that I’m hungry for it is a sign that I am am that if I didn’t have that mentality I wouldn’t want [Applause] that oh my God oh my God and do not know the devil is still trying to get bread people to hook up with
stones that’s good that’s good don’t say nothing cuz you might have married the stone and you can’t say nothing about it just sit there and be just as cool as you can I’m going to get you out of this in a minute and spend the next 15 years of your life trying to turn a stone you was a bread person you wanted bread when you got them you knew it was bread you needed you knew you didn’t quite see it in them but all of these years you’ve been trying to turn a stone and and when bread people hook up
with stone people they don’t communicate well cuz what the bread person is trying to do is trying to get something out of you that’s not in you and the stone person is looking back saying what’s wrong what’s wrong you expect too much you ought to be satisfied for me to just sit here see because in appearance the stone and the bread look Alik have you ever got with somebody that appeared to be something uhhuh that that when you really tried to really get down to it the I’m not going to bother it I’m not
going to bother it I’m somebody in here ought to say Amen if you afraid to say Amen you can you can tweet me an amen just at Bishop Jason cuz I know you don’t want them to know that I’m preaching your message tonight but you act like you get that tape for somebody at work and then get home and get in your car and fall out cuz I don’t care how hungry you are you can’t get bread out of Stony people ain’t no need in trying to turn it into something that it ain’t it is what it [Applause]
is don’t you be trying to use your power to deceive yourself in the thinking that just because it’s shaped like bread that it tastes like bread going break your teeth how many will make a commitment that you are through breaking your teeth on hard stuff through deceiving yourself into thinking that rocks are bread through draining your power trying to get the stone to be something that it is not and all of the energy that you’re putting into trying to make something be that it is not you should have put into
discovering what God put in you because the very fact that you hunger for is a sign that you are it only excellent people hunger for excellence only wise people hunger for wisdom I can tell the level of a preacher by how well they receive the word cuz you know just cuz you wear a clergy shirt don’t mean you a preacher but when you start preaching the word to a real preacher something in him will ignite down in his soul something in her will start leaping up because like knows like deep knows deep rich knows Rich
class knows class anointing knows anointing ain’t no way I’m going home with rocks when I can have some bread touch your neighbor say look at me I’m I am bread I am nutrition I am sustenance whoever gets me going to be better off than they were before I got something to offer I’m not faking the funk I got something about me that whoever gets this a’t going to get [Applause] better so he says to him let me hurry on I don’t want to take too long say turn you know he says now he takes him to a high
place in the temple in the synagogue and says now if if you fall off this Temple cast yourself down for it is written see they throwing the book at each other yeah somebody going to go preach that I already know pay your ti pay your ti now and and he says it is written that the angels will bear the up lest you dash your foot against the stone okay and Jesus said it is written they throwing the book back and forth that thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God is that what he said yeah yeah yeah and and so I’m not going to use my
power to to prove who I am because when you know who you are you don’t have to prove what you got when you know see let let me help y’all with this when you see these preachers banging on the pull pit talking about I’m the pastor of this church they not when you see these men beating under other Tong I’m the man at this house he’s not when you are something you don’t have to convince anybody of what you are when you walk in the room everything in that go oh y’all ain’t helping me preach
this tonight so then he says he says uh enough of this angel stuff and and he says I tell you what I’m going to do he said he said come on up here he said come on up here take a look at this he said go on up here all the way up here he said you see all of that he said all the kingdoms of the world will I give you if you Bow Down and Worship me and Jesus said this is not no good deal [Applause] don’t you know the Earth is the Lord’s the fullness thereof and the world and they that dwell therein all the en in
all three cases the enemy didn’t the Bible say the kingdoms of this world should be the kingdoms of our God and of his Christ all three cases the enemy was offering him what he off already [Music] has what does that mean to you are you being offered what you already got are you trying to find a pieace that you already possess are are you seeking a wisdom externally that you already have internally isn’t it true that the very fact that you are hungry for it is an indication that you are functioning on a level to know that it
exists and and and and devil one more thing I want to say this this this talk you gave about the angels that that that Jesus had to throw himself down off the temple for the angels to [Applause] come the Angels were coming anyway so the B tell somebody and tell them the angels are coming anyway I came I actually didn’t come from Dallas this time I flew from New York I’ve been on the plane all day flying from New York to get here to tell you the angels are coming the angels are coming now now wait wait wait I want I want you to
understand this is not the word for the happy people right this is for the hungry people this is for the weary tired at my witch in out of breath tired can’t take anymore if something don’t break through in a minute I’m going to lose my mind people this is for the people that’s been in a Wilderness been through hell and high water your back’s been up against the wall you’ve been wondering Lord how long do I have to go through this is there anybody in here like that if you’re in here like that make some
