TD Jakes - Working Through Hard Places

I want to talk to you about the subject of working through hard places. Working through hard places in doubt, me, Sir, with Your grace. Empower me with Your presence. Invigorate this clay body with the kind of glory that enables it to function in supernatural ways. Translate me out of my flesh into the kingdom of Your dear Son, and let me feed the flock. For beneath all the fancy paraphernalia of this occasion, the truth of the matter is that many of us are working through hard places. We’re dancing, but we’re working through hard places. We’re smiling, but we’re working through hard places. We even clap our hands, but we are working through hard places. Anything You can tell us that will help us with what You have for us to do, we are hungry to receive because we don’t want to get this close to the promise and stagger in unbelief. Now bless the furtherance of the service. In Jesus' name we pray, somebody shout amen. You may be seated.

We are in the book of Leviticus, studying the life of Moses. We are delving into the fact that he has been assigned to people who have not been kind, because God doesn’t always assign you to nice people. Just because they’re not nice does not mean that you’re not assigned. We’re living in a time when people give up their assignment for comfort. They think that if they are not comfortable, then they are not assigned. But occasionally God assigns you to hard places. Depending on what was modeled in front of you, and what your character level is, and what your personality profile exhibits, it is possible for you to forsake the assignment because of the surroundings to which you have been assigned.

We are a very vocal generation. All of us have become news reporters. We don’t just vocalize in our homes; we vocalize publicly because we don’t always like the assignment. It is, in a way, retaliation, but behind the retaliation, there’s no judgment here—it’s frustration. Frustration occurs when our lives do not look like what we imagined them to be. We’re looking at the imagination of the people and saying, «Where are the figs? All I see are sand dunes and gusts of high air. Where are the pomegranates? Where is the promised land?» They are assaulting Moses and making him responsible for their choice to go. It is not as though Moses has put a sword to their throat and asked them to leave, no. And it is not as though Egypt was a wonderful place to be. But isn’t it amazing how quickly we forget what worse was like?

My first point I want to leave in your hearing is that underestimating the difficulty of the assignment will get you in trouble. Underestimating the difficulty of the assignment is, in part, a fault of our mentors. They often made it look easier than it really was. Not wanting to murmur and complain, they made it look more simplistic. But when you actually took the job, when you actually had the baby, when you got married, when you started the business, when you began the career, it was not as glamorous as dating. Dating is far more glamorous than marriage. Dating is filled with Tic Tacs, deodorant, and cologne. Marriage brings bad breath, sharp words, and unexpected situations. It’s too cold in here—turn the heat up! It’s too hot for my people over 50—turn it down! The discrepancies in our comfort have become so paramount that now we sleep in the same bed, but we have different sides so you can tilt up while I tilt down, and you can regulate the temperature because we can’t even agree on the temperature in the room.

We do not understand that hard places are given to strengthen people. The question is: Can God trust you with a hard place? I know He can trust you when everything is falling into place, but can He trust you during a layoff? Can He trust you through a repossession when you’re moving back in with your mama? Where is your praise now while your enemies are saying, «Where is your God?» Your God is saying, «Where is your praise?» Or do you only love Me when I play Santa Claus in your life? As long as I’m coming down the chimney, you got cookies—but what happens when God does not show up in the form or the way you expected Him to? Can you still be assigned and uncomfortable? Can you be assigned and be miserable?

Now, I’m not talking about the things you assign yourself to, because some of this stuff you got into, God didn’t assign you to it. Your lust assigned you to it. Your sin assigned you to it. Your pride assigned you to it. Your ego assigned you to it. Your overinflated confidence assigned you to it. But I’m talking about the times that God has assigned you to a hard place, and you’re rebuking the devil, pleading the blood, and trying to cast out devils that are absent from the situation because it was all right in spring, summer, and fall, but now winter has set in, and you’re not dressed for a hard place. I’m wondering if you understand, if it were easy, anyone could do it. I said, if it were easy, anyone could do it. If it were easy, anyone could be a great parent. If it were easy, anyone could be a great husband. If it were easy, anyone could be a great wife. The truth of the matter is some of y’all are hard to be married to. Just keep looking straight ahead, I’m going to get you through it.