There is an exchange that happens when you give God your weakness and He turns it into your strength. There’s a change in how you see yourself and a responsibility to show up as that better version of you. The Bible says, “by the grace of God, I am what I am”. It’s giving #retweet! ___________________________________ Watch the full “The Mystery of Grace” Sermon on the TD Jakes Ministries Youtube page. REGISTER for WE23: 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!

one of the things that I have heard

almost my entire life as it relates to

my mother

is that she is the embodiment of Grace

everyone says if they’ve had an

opportunity to meet her or just watch

her for any amount of time that she just

embodies what it means to have Grace

because she’s so classy and she’s so

petite and she’s just so she Whispers

And

and Grace feels like a whisper and

that’s why she would I think that’s why

she does it I think that Grace is just a

whisper

down in her spirit

I recognize that when most of the people

say that she is the embodiment of Grace

that they are not necessarily talking

about Grace as we know it in the Bible

there is a definition of grace that is

more I’ll say westernized something that

doesn’t have much to do with faith at

all and this definition of Grace relies

on us to really lean into a person’s

Elegance their beauty they say that when

a person has Grace they’re not always

talking about her embodying the

attributes of being in relationship with

Jesus but rather someone who just has

elegance and Grace and certainly my

mother fits that bill

as I was defining what Grace is I

couldn’t help but start at that surface

level definition of grace

however when we dig deeper into Grace we

recognize that there are so many other

definitions many of them that we have

become familiar with especially if

you’ve been in church or around church

for any number of time and that is the

unmerited favor of God

when we Define grace theologically or in

the context of church we see it as the

unmerited favor of God or something that

you may have heard a Divine influence of

the heart

so when we say that God’s grace is with

us or God’s grace is what empowered us

we’re talking about God doing something

in our heart that allowed our heart to

turn even when we didn’t realize that we

needed it to turn or that God turned his

heart to us in ways that we didn’t

deserve or could not have earned that is

what Grace is when we talk about it in

the context of church and Theology and

yet when I was studying Grace I went

even deeper and recognized that the word

that is translated into Grace in the New

Testament of the Bible is a Greco-Roman

word

this Greco-Roman word that was

translated actually is Charis

Karis is the word that is translated as

Grace

and when I looked at Charis apart from

our you know christianese Church version

of what Grace is when I just looked at

it purely in the historical context of

Charis what I learned is that Charis was

a system that was used in the

Greco-Roman area era and in this system

of Grace called Charis it is when one

person gave a gift to another person

the only thing is that the person who

gave the gift often had a higher value

gift or a higher value position than the

person who was receiving it

so Charis is like a king and a servant

and a servant gives a gift to a King and

though his heart is well intended though

it has high value based on where the

servant is from the king’s perspective

it is a lesser value but still because

they have engaged in this relationship

this system of Grace Just because he

gives him something of lesser value it

doesn’t mean that he is disqualified

from being in relationship with him

because Karis allows for us to give

something on a lesser value and still be

in relationship with the person who

we’re giving the gift to

when we see Charis in the text

really we have to look at it in this

cultural historical context if we want

to accurately determine what it means to

really experience God’s grace

because Paul the writer a Roman citizen

cannot separate the context of Charis

from what he is translating into our

relationship with God

so when he says in First Corinthians

when he talks about Grace I put a text

as an example in First Corinthians

15.

nine through ten put it on the screen

for me he says for I am the least of the

Apostles he starts off already setting

his value low I am the least I have less

value I’m not like some of the other

apostles who actually walked with Jesus

I’m not high and mighty I’m the least of

the apostles who am not worthy to be

called an apostle because I persecuted

the Church of God

but then it continues as it says but by

the grace because I made an exchange

with God it’s not that I don’t have the

least amount of value but by the grace

of God I am what I am you could appraise

my worth based off of what I did and you

would be right to say that I have no

value but if you would Praise My worth

by who I am connected with then you

would recognize that who I am connected

with automatically took my Stakes up it

is by the grace of God that I am who I

am you’re right I’m not educated enough

you’re right I don’t have the right

connections you’re right I have no

business being in this Pulpit but by the

grace of God I am what I am you’re right

about it I shouldn’t be here I shouldn’t

be raising the family I shouldn’t be

starting the business but by the grace

of God I am what I am some people are

jealous of what you did they don’t

realize that what you did was done by

the grace of God you and I are actually

no different but by the grace of God I

am what I am you could act cute in this

place if you want to but I know there

are some people in this room who are

only in this room because Grace said I

will align with you and no you’re not my

best option and no you’re not my best

choice but if you’re willing to give me

an exchange

I made an exchange

there’s some people in this room

who made an exchange with God

and the exchange they made with God

didn’t even have any value to God God

Gave You addiction and he gave you a

Ministry God gave you you gave God

addiction and he gave you a Ministry you

gave God low self-esteem and he gave you

a business God gave me an exchange it

don’t even make sense because what I

gave him doesn’t match what he gave me

in return I gave you Disobedience and

you gave me another shot I gave you

Reckless and you ordered my steps I wish

there were some people in this room who

knows that God what I gave you wasn’t

nothing compared to what she gave me

you see I know what I gave them

see I tell other people no no I studied

for this no I went to school for this

but when it’s me and God in the prayer

closet God’s able to help me understand

now you know you didn’t really give me

much to work with you know you was lying

your face off you know you were sleeping

with anything that would walk you know

you didn’t give me nothing to work with

but by the grace of God when God’s grace

breathes on you it takes short nothing

and turns it into something the grace of

God is why I’m in this room the grace of

God is why I have another chance the

grace of God is why I know I’m gonna see

the goodness of God the goodness of

messing with me every time I think I’m

giving them something of value he says

that’s nothing to me let me breathe on

it and expand it

[Music]

I didn’t give him nothing to work with

I didn’t give him nothing to work with I

didn’t have no ingredients but God says

if you just give me what you have if you

just give me what you have I know it

doesn’t seem like a lot I know it looks

like broken pieces I know it may look

like abortion I know it may look like

you’re dying I know it may look like you

should be locked up but if you give me

something to work with

we could enter into an alliance

where my grace

and what you offer

aligns in such a way

that it is undeniable

that Grace went ahead of you

yeah

Grace

is in exchange Grace is not just about

consumption

Grace is not insurance for you to do

whatever you like

I know I’m sorry

I wanted to keep I wanted to preach

something real cute but God told me I

gotta really break down what Grace is

because some of us do treat grapes like

it is insurance and Grace is going to go

ahead and I’m gonna make the mistake but

I believe Grace is going to cover me

when you really get a revelation of

Grace you understand that if God ever

gave me what I truly deserved

if God ever lifted his grace off of my

life then imposter syndrome would be

right because I have no business being

where I am but God’s grace

oh

was

the grace of God

that made the difference and so when we

see Paul

talking about Grace and he says it is

the grace of God I am what I am and his

grace towards me was not in vain

but I labored more abundantly than they

are

there’s I see exchange here

I am the least of them but God gave me

the grace of God I am what I am he

changed my identity

and then when he changed his identity

when he changed my identity says Paul

when he changed the way that I saw

myself when he changed the way I saw

what he was doing in the earth I decided

that his grace toward me would not be in

vain

because Grace comes with the

responsibility

because I don’t feel entitled to Grace

just because you allowed me to have

Grace on credit

God help me

some people in this room got Grace on

credit

Gus says I’m Gonna Give You Grace first

and then when you step into the grace I

want you to live in such a way that I

know that my grace was not in vain that

you recognize what this is because if

you recognize what this is you won’t do

that again that’s why we can love people

with grace for real I don’t have to

condemn you to make sure you don’t make

the same mistake over and over again I

just gotta be so good to you that you

never want to be bad to yourself again I

just gotta be so good to you that you

never want to go back to who you were

before it is the grace of God the

goodness of God that kept showing up in

his life that says now I feel obligated

what can I Render unto you God for all

that you have done to me I feel

obligated I am a slave to the gospel not

because I did everything right not

because he actually chained me but

because he kept chasing me with his

grace and I finally turned around and I

said God don’t you know I’m raggedy God

don’t you know I’m bad God don’t you

know you could get somebody else but you

keep chasing me into this bar you keep

chasing me into this strip club God what

is it that you want with me God what is

it that you can do with these

[Music]

[Applause]

foreign

Corinthians

chapter 10 verse 9.

that’s my scripture right there

Paul is

expressing right before this

how he’s got this thorn in his flesh

oh God I feel like you want to do

something in this place

God I could almost be used but I got

this Thorn In My Flesh God I could

almost be of use but there’s this thing

that’s is piercing my soul I could

almost be like them I could almost be

perfect I could almost hold my head up

high I could almost be in Ministry I

could almost lay it down and Jesus says

to him my grace once again we’re not

talking about Grace the way we’ve come

to know it in church we’re talking about

in exchange this exchange that I made is

sufficient for you because my strength

is made perfect in weakness that means

that if you make this exchange the right

way it won’t matter what the thorn is it

won’t matter where you’re weak all

that’ll matter is that you made an

exchange with me you give me weakness

and that gives you strength you give me

three freedom and I will give you a real

call and a purpose if you give it to me

I’ll Transform it God says I want to

marry your weakness

[Music]

yeah

put it back on the screen for me I want

you to give me your weakness

I want you to give it to me

don’t give it to them see the reason

that most of us end up with our hearts

broken is because we were given our

weakness to other weak people and we

were hoping that if I give you my

weakness I’ll finally feel strong but

Jesus says the reason why you needed him

to walk away the reason why you needed

her to disappoint you is because you

wanted her to do what only I could do

you wanted the job to be what only I

could be you wanted the check to do what

only I can do and that’s why you’re rich

and still upset and that’s why you

drugged out and still ain’t got no peace

there is no drug greater than my grace

there ain’t that shrink on Earth that

can make you strong in the area you’ve

been weak it can help you forget it can

help you walk away but if you want to be

strong for real you gotta take that

weakness and say God Here I Am Lord here

I am with my weak self here I am with my

broke self here I am with my shattered

self the moment they call me I’ll go

running out the door I don’t want to be

weak anymore

I don’t want to be weak like this

anymore this weakness is messing up my

destiny this weakness is messing up my

family this weakness is changing the way

as see myself this weakness is about to

keep me from being who you’ve called me

to be you gotta go to war with your

weakness cause your weakness gonna mess

you up but when you decide that I won’t

let a weak think keep me from a classic

[Music]

the weakness

[Applause]

it’s in the way

it’s in the way

that weakness is in the way

and you don’t just get it out of the way

by ignoring it and you don’t get it out

of the way by pretending you’re gonna be

confident in the place where you are

weak you can’t affirm yourself out of

this weakness you can’t post yourself

out of this weakness the only thing you

can do with a weakness is joke it up to

something stronger than the area where

you’re weak business his name is Jesus

oh God I didn’t get his name

[Applause]

thank you

pause this

I knew I was weak

but when I got this revelation

that my weak head can have a companion

my weakness can have a companion and

that companion is his strength when I

got that Revelation I did something

crazy I started boasting in my

infirmities cause the more I post about

it the more he prays on it and the more

he brings soon it is the power of God

rests upon

[Music]

I don’t know about you

but I’m trying to live a life that

confuses the enemy how in the hell did

all of the hell I put her through did

not keep her from being a handed out of

hell then all of the hell

[Music]

let me send hell to keep you from being

who God has called you to be

I know it’s confusing but the hell

didn’t work I know it’s confusing but

the hell actually works for me not

against me his strength was made perfect

in the place where I experienced hell

you standing in evidence

oh God that’s not even that’s not my

message and I’m trying to calm down but

I just gotta let you know that you

standing in the room where hell tried to

attack me you standing in the room where

hell said imma get her pregnant so she

never opens her mouth at 13 years old

I’ma put her in a room and tell her

you’ll never have access to the gift of

God you see in everybody else and Heaven

said aha one day she gonna give me all

that hell she went through okay

okay hold on I’m sorry

I’m sorry I’m sorry

I’m sorry I’m sorry if you visit him for

the first time I’m sorry you don’t even

know me like that but let me tell you

something I know something about the

grace of God and and something about the

goodness of God I know

and that’s in this place

okay

okay

[Applause]

I’m a boss in my infirmities that the

power of Christ May rest upon me I’m not

going to whisper about these infirmities

I’m not going to ignore these

infirmities

foreign

[Applause]

Exchange

[Applause]

I give God

my weakness

my doubt my

insecurity

my need to perform

my need to be polished I’m gonna give

him

my weakness I’m gonna give him that

broken little boy I’m gonna give him

that broken little girl I’m gonna give

him my weakness my my weakness I’m gonna

give him this addiction I’m gonna give

him my weakness you see we came in here

and we looked the best that we can look

part of it is because I’m trying to

cover up some of this weakness you think

you got decree on top of degree because

you really wanted education and yes that

was it but some of you were trying to

cover up your weakness and I hear God

saying you’re trying to cover up the

very thing I want to partner with I

don’t want to partner with what looks

good I don’t want to partner with the

part of you that makes everyone feel

good I want to partner with the part of

you that nobody wants not even you God

says that’s the part that I want I want

your weakness I want your Brokenness I

want your bitterness he left 20 years

ago you’re still bitter God says give me

that you’re not angry you’re hurting

you’re not in pain you’re broken I want

laughs

I want

your weakness