Sis, this year we’re focusing on our journey, goals, and what makes US happy. No need for unnecessary detours or comparing ourselves to others. Embrace your path, be true to yourself, and enjoy the ride. We’re rooting for you all along the way! ___________________________________ Watch the full “Stay In Your Lane” Sermon on the TD Jakes Ministries Youtube page. REGISTER for WE24: womanevolveconference.com Stay plugged into the Woman Evolve community: www.womanevolve.com www.womanevolve.tv download the app from any mobile device’s app store, first 7 days are FREE! Want to support this ministry? Text GIVE to (833) 611-9066 or click here FOLLOW US ON THE SOCIALS: Instagram: Women Evolve and Sarah Jakes Roberts Twitter: Woman Evolve and SJakesRoberts Facebook: Woman Evolve and Sarah Jakes RobertsWoman Evolve TV app!

my husband and I we’re a blended family

and we have six

children and the two youngest are 14 and

seven which means that for the older

four we’ve gone through this stage of

teaching them how to

drive and you know we have different my

husband and I we have different teaching

methods he’s very thorough in his

teaching and I’m and I’m more like a you

know just like let’s see what happens

kind of

girl and so I told the kids like I will

teach you how to drive but then you know

my supervisor is going to have to come

in and make sure that I checked all of

the boxes and so on one of the first

drives that I went out with one of the

children I won’t name them them name

them cuz all four of them who we’ve

talked to drive are currently in the

building but when I was out doing one of

the drivers I’m like this is just as

important for me as it is for you of

course I want you to be safe and I want

to make sure that when you’re on the

road that you are you know well aware of

all that it takes to be a good driver

but also when my supervisor comes in I

want him to know that I was so good at

teaching you to drive that I don’t have

to hear his mouth

right and then we was driving and we was

practicing and we did real good when we

were like pulling out of the

neighborhood and we did very well when

we were you know within the community we

weren’t like on the main streets then we

got on the main streets and and I

noticed things was you know we need a

little

polishing

cuz I noticed that as the cars were

coming that the driver was swerving a

little bit into the other

lane and I didn’t want to say anything

cuz I didn’t want to alarm him her him

them they us

[Music]

we next few therapy sessions going to be

on

me them I didn’t want to alarm them but

when they were driving I just asked once

we got to a stoplight I said what are

you looking at when we’re

driving he goes I’m looking at the cars

coming and I go and I understand why you

would do that because it is a lot to pay

attention to but if you’re going to stay

in your lane you’re going to have to

stay focused on your

lane because the more that you shift

your focus towards what’s happening in

another

Lane little by little you start turning

the wheel you’re not not even doing it

intentionally you just start turning the

wheel in the direction of where your

attention

is this isn’t even something that is

necessarily relegated to

driving it’s the same thing that happens

to many of us when we enter into

entrepreneurship we get so busy looking

at everyone else’s Journey that now we

don’t even believe in the very Vision

that God has given us

I am convinced that our responsibility

is to do as we do with driving it’s not

that we ignore what’s happening

completely but we have to learn to

glance at what’s happening but pull our

Focus back to what is happening within

our sphere of

influence I need to understand the

market trends I need to understand

funding I have to know what’s happening

in this space but I cannot be so

consumed that I become

discouraged it’s the same thing with

content creation or weight loss or

Ministry or whatever you have to

understand what’s happening you have to

understand what’s moving the numbers

what helps people gravitate what makes

for an easier experience you have to be

willing to look this is not us being

ignorant and blind you got to do the

research you got to understand what’s

taking place but at the same time you

have to understand when it’s time for

you to bring your focus back to the Lane

that God has given you so that you can

stay in your lane your

attention is an

investment and what we have to be

willing to ask

ourselves is what return am I getting on

this

investment you know when I sometimes

forget that I’m a gentle parent cuz I’m

still new to

it I

remember in moments where my younger

children are distracting me while I’m

working that I don’t get to just get

somewhere and sit down and move out way

I don’t I don’t do that though that’s

what’s in my

spirit because I read somewhere that it

is important that a child receives

attention so that they are positively

affirmed in their confidence their

self-image so much of who they are and

what they believe is possible has to do

with the level of attention they receive

from their primary caregiver and so

there are some moments where I say hold

on let me finish this email so that I

can give you my undivided attention

because what I want in return turn from

that attention is in an adult who

believes in their ideas their gifts and

their talents because I created an

environment at home that says what you

say matters to me how you express

yourself matters to me your creativity

is important to me so much of what’s

wrong with so many of us is that we

never had someone stop and give us

enough attention to say I believe in you

and so now we are adults trying to

figure out how do I move with confidence

and boldness not recognizing that that

could have been solved when we were

young children if somebody would have

said I see you what you’re doing is

important to me you

matter the

attention that we give to our children

that we give to our spouses we get an

investment back on that when you stop

everything and you look at your partner

as if you really care about what they’re

saying even if you have to buy some care

for what they’re

[Applause]

saying there some things I I’ll be

honest I don’t care about it but I care

about you and if this is important to

you because I’m into you I’m going to

give you the attention connected to this

moment because I want to see you

recognize the value that I have in our

connection when you value something you

give it

attention but also your attention gives

things

value so you have to be careful not just

positively but negatively as well when

you give attention into

negativity you get a return on that as

well there are certain things that when

I give them attention they heighten my

shame they heighten my insecurity and so

we have to be willing to do the work to

ask ourselves what did I get in return

from that attention like I gave you some

attention for this drama I gave you some

attention for this thing that we’ve gone

over over and over again and now for

some reason after I gave you attention I

feel less than after I gave you

attention I feel more insecure after I

gave you attention I don’t know if I

trust God anymore there are some people

that when you give them attention there

are some situations when you give them

attention you get a value but the value

is not necessarily in the place that you

wanted now your depression has more

value now your insecurity has more value

now your trauma has more value how did

it become more valuable it’s because I

gave attention to something that fed

into something that was already living

inside of me the only time that things

really get under my skin is when there’s

already a seed that has been deposited

in my life and then someone comes along

and they water a seed that was already

there and so what I have to learn to do

is starve out the people who feed the

things that make me more insecure

because I’m moving into a season in my

life where I cannot afford to be

double-minded I got to be stable in

order to break this generational curse I

got to be stable in order to build this

business I got to be stable in order to

walk with Integrity I got to be be

stable in order to lead this church I

got to be stable in order to be in

Ministry and sometimes that means I got

to block some things out of my mind

because the only time I feel unstable is

after I have engaged with you some

people are on assignment from the enemy

and they don’t even realize it my

assignment is not even to thwart you my

assignment is to divide your attention

because if I divide your attention then

you will not have enough momentum to do

the thing God has called you to do the

enemy didn’t stuff the fruit down her

mouth all he did was divide her

attention I know you’re focused on being

fruitful and multiplying I know you’re

focused on having Dominion but did you

ever think about this fruit and now her

attention has been

divided I got

to pay

attention I’m paying attention if it

costs me something to pay

attention my attention is an

investment and there are

moments where you do need to see what’s

happening but you also need to have

enough

wisdom to know when you can’t handle it

anymore there are moments where you need

to see what God is doing in the life of

other people it blesses you it

encourages you it edifies you but then

there are moments where you need to stop

looking at what God is doing in the

lives of other people cuz when you

finish looking at what God is doing in

the lives of other people you come back

over to your life and you’re like God I

don’t even see you moving at all in my

life I see this person got married I see

this person got the finances I got to

pay attention to what’s happening in my

life and what we learn when we bring our

attention back to what God is doing in

our lives is that we serve a God who

sees

us sometimes we have these moments where

we make it seem like blessings just fell

into our

lives the blessings didn’t just fall

into our lives we serve a God who paid

attention to what we needed and gave it

to us right when we needed it if I had

about 10 seconds in about 10 old school

church folks we could have testimony

service in this room and we could talk

about those moments where God showed up

in our lives in such a way that there

was no denying that you were paying

attention to me you see God has just

blessed some people but God has done

some things in my life that helped me to

recognize that you were paying attention

to me you knew exactly what I needed in

that grief you knew exactly what I

needed when I was going through that

pain you knew exactly what I needed no

one but God could have known that I

needed that word when it came no one but

God could have known what I needed out

of that worship service but God you pay

attention to me it gives me a Psalms 3

praise where I start thinking like David

br thought in Psalms 8 in Psalms 8 David

said how is it that this God who

considers the heavens and the works of

your fingers the moons and the Stars

which you have ordained God you set the

ocean in motion you put the Sun in the

sky you place the Stars over the Galaxy

who am I that you are mindful of me that

you pay attention to what I need little

oh me God I barely paid attention to you

but you paid attention to me you knew I

wouldn’t have the father but gave me the

uncle you knew I wouldn’t have the

family but you gave me the teacher God

you didn’t just leave me with nothing to

pull from you paid attention to what I

needed he paid attention to me he paid

attention to what I needed he paid

attention to the areas where I had

Brokenness he’s already gone ahead of

you that means that I’m paying attention

before you even step into the room that

you have the right people when you get

into the room he’s paying attention

right now in this moment when you feel

lost and Forsaken and Confused God says

I’m paying attention when we talk about

him restoring what the Locust have eaten

we’re talking about a God who paid

attention to everything you lost along

the way I’m paying attention to everyone

who walked away I’m paying attention to

everyone who portrayed you because when

the time is right when you step into

restoration you’re going to see that I

didn’t leave you when you step into

restoration you’re going to see that I

understood what you needed along the way

I know your life feels random I know it

feels like you’re scattered all over the

place but God says I paid attention to

everywhere your foot treaded I paid

attention to everything they said I paid

attention to every dream I paid

attention to every hope I paid attention

to every desire I paid attention to

[Music]

you oh

God who am I that you would be mindful

of me

God knows how to stay in his Lane and

your lane

too that’s what that verse shows me in

Psalms

8 that I know how to stay in my

Lane I can still run the

Galaxy I can still sit high and lift it

up but I also know how to get down into

what bothers you that’s the whole thing

with me being omnipresent I know how to

be everywhere all at the same time I can

be in your lane and my Lane I can be in

her Lane and your lane just because I’m

doing it in her life it doesn’t mean

that I’m not doing it in your life too I

know how to be in everybody’s Lane at

the same

time and I’m paying attention to what

you need and I’m paying attention to

what hurts you and I’m paying attention

to what’s still doring inside of

you we serve a God who pays

attention

we pay

attention God pays attention because he

recognizes that I’m trying to keep

you in your

lane and sometimes in order to keep you

in your lane he does have to go ahead of

us and make our crooked path straight in

order to keep us in our lane he does

have to do some things that help us to

recognize that only God could do this

but what I love the most about God is

even when we swerve out of our lane he

shows up there

too

[Applause]

David said again in Psalm if I make my

bed in hell you’ll be

there which means that he’s not just God

when you’re doing everything right and

he’s not just showing up just because

you showed up in all of your

righteousness and Holiness but when we

look back over our lives I bet a few of

us see sometimes where I swerved out of

my Lane but God was still there in the

midst of it all that God said I know you

don’t have no business being over over

here at this hour of the night I know

you don’t have no business talking this

person at all that’s why I’m going to

flicker the lights to let you know that

I’m over in this Lane too I wish I had

some people in here who tried to live

wrong like I gave it my best shot like I

was the best at doing bad but God

wouldn’t let me get out of my Lane God

kept calling me God I wanted to turn

this sermon off I didn’t want your

presence to reach me I swerved out of

your lane because I’ve got too much

shame and I got too much guilt but for

some reason God came and chased me down

goodness and mercy kept following me so

much so that I had to turn around and

finally say God what is it that you want

from me you know I’m not good enough you

know I’m not smart enough you know all

of the things I’ve done in my past but

every time I swerve out of my Lane you

keep pulling me back to where I’m

supposed to be you keep calling my name

in spite of what I’ve gone

[Music]

through what kind of God do we serve

who won’t even allow us to get out of

line and treat us the way we treat

people when they get out of line I’ll

leave the 99 to come get the one because

I’m so committed to who you can be that

I don’t care who you used to be I’m so

committed to what’s in you that I can’t

give up on what came out of you I’m so

committed to what I placed inside of you

that I won’t just let you get tossed up

and any your environment in any your

circumstances he’s coming to get

somebody

he’s coming and get

us and what we learn in this

text the reason why I believe God

highlighted this for

me is that we see in the children of

Israel the reality of what

happens when we serve a God who doesn’t

mind swerving in and out

of these Lanes with

us we think I

thought that God was trying to keep us

in the

lane because that’s just where we’re

supposed to

be what I know now is that the reason

why God Is So committed to us staying in

our lane is because he created this Lane

for

us and in the context of this Lane there

are promises that only manifest when you

stay in your

lane we always talk about no weapon

formed against meil prosper and it’s a

beautiful scripture but if you read the

full scripture it says this is the

inheritance of the Servants of the Lord

this is for a select group of people who

learn to stay in their

Lane when you stay in your lane the

weapons form but they don’t Prosper when

you stay in your lane there’s protection

when you stay in your lane there is

covering there are some people in in

this room who you are right they should

not be on the path that they are on I

should not be looking at generational

wealth I should not be looking at

generational wholeness but because some

kind of way I stayed in my Lane now the

promise that God spoke over my family is

a reality I don’t know who needs to hear

this but 2024 is going to be the year of

a deal breaker it’s going to be the year

where the deals that you made with the

Enemy the deals that you made with your

shame the deals that you made with your

insecurity are broken because you stay

in your lane and because you stay in

your lane you make some commitments to

God God I don’t know why you place me

here God I don’t know what you’re seeing

me but I’m going to stay in my Lane the

old folks will say I think I’m going to

run on and see what the end’s going to

be I’m going to stay in this lane cuz

there are some promises connected to

this Lane I’m going to stay in this Lane

because there are some weapons that I

see forming and everything in me wants

to step out of my Lane to move out of

Dodge to get out of Target but I’m going

to stay in My Lan and trust that the

promises of the Lord are yes and amen I

see the weapons forming but I see myself

running I see the weapons coming for me

but I also see goodness and mercy

following me you don’t think I see you I

see you baby but what I see more than

that is the path that God has for me I

think I’m going to run on and see what

the end’s going to be I think I’m going

to run on and see how all things work

together for the good of those who stay

in that lane I think I’m going to run

on though he slay me yes shall I trust

in them I’m going to stay in my Lane

though the weapons are formed I’m going

to stay in my Lane though they talk

about me I’m going to stay in my Lane

baby this is my Lane he created this

Lane for me can’t nobody do my Lane the

way I do my lande I can’t give up on my

lane cuz if I give up on my Lane a

generation may not be saved so I’m going

stay flat footed in the lame God gave me