When God Uses the Flood

When God Uses the Flood:

My Reflections on T.D. Jakes’ Word About Influence, Impediments, and Becoming Who God Called You To Be

There are certain sermons that don’t just speak to you—they shake you, interrupt you, and call you higher. Bishop T.D. Jakes did that for me in his message, “God Is Preparing You For Greatness; Here’s What You Need To Know.”

You can find the full sermon here: https://youtu.be/qERfwmZHzv8?si=1WXsfGS7YlRTeAl_

When God Uses the Flood

Listening to it, I felt seen. I felt exposed. And for the first time in a long time, I felt strengthened in places I thought life had drained empty.

Because right now, I am walking through a season that feels like everything is shifting—responsibilities, relationships, expectations, roles, pressure, calling—all of it. And nothing feels familiar. Nothing feels stable. And that’s exactly why this message hit me so deeply.

“We don't know. We don’t know how to live in the promised land… we don’t know how to fight this kind of fight.”

That line broke me open.

Because so much of my life right now looks like unfamiliar battles, unexpected obstacles, and responsibilities I never thought I’d carry. I am transitioning. I am changing. I am growing. I am leading. I am fighting. And I am doing it in uncharted territory where there’s no manual, no blueprint, and no mentor standing right in front of me.

Bishop Jakes said something so freeing:

“If you come to the text as a fool, you leave as a professor. But if you come to the text as a professor, you leave as a fool.”

In other words:

Humility is the birthplace of transformation.

And I needed that reminder. Because being strong for other people sometimes tricks you into believing you have to know everything, hold everything, fix everything, and figure everything out alone.

But God works most powerfully through the people who admit:

I don’t know how to do this, Lord. Show me. Lead me. Help me.

Influence vs. Affluence: Why God Is Elevating You Differently

One of the most healing teachings in this sermon was the distinction between affluence and influence.

“Don’t confuse affluence with influence. Affluence is what you have. Influence is what you emit.”

Influence is not your salary.

Influence is not your followers.

Influence is not your title.

Influence is the spiritual substance that flows out of you—the part of you that moves people, shifts atmospheres, inspires change, and affects decisions and outcomes without you forcing anything.

That part of the sermon made me stop the video and take a breath.

Because right now, God is increasing my responsibilities, my visibility, my leadership, my assignments, and my capacity—and I often ask Him why me? Why now? Why this weight?

But Bishop Jakes said:

“If God magnifies you, would you magnify Him?”

That question cut deep.

Because yes, I want influence—but I want it for God’s glory. I want it because of the work I’m trying to do in my community. I want it because the children and families I serve deserve someone who doesn’t quit. I want it because the purpose God assigned to me is too urgent and too important to shrink back from.

This sermon reminded me that influence is not a luxury—it is a calling.

And it requires stewardship, humility, and courage.

The Flood: The Impediment That Reveals Your Influence

But the real breakthrough moment in this message was when Bishop Jakes explained what the flood meant for Joshua.

“The flood was an impediment that God used to increase Joshua’s influence.”

And then he said:

“If God removes the impediment, you won’t have the influence.”

That sentence alone could have been the entire sermon.

Because I’m in a flooding season right now.

A season where everything feels like too much.

Where the water is rising faster than I can plan.Where the obstacles feel unfair.

Where the pressure feels suffocating.

Where the attacks feel personal.

Where the responsibility feels heavier than the resources I have.

But Bishop Jakes said something that lifted the weight off my chest:

“The flood is a sign that the harvest is in process.”

What if the thing you think is drowning you is actually the thing God is using to lift you to the next dimension of your calling?

What if the crisis is not punishment but preparation?

What if the warfare is not destruction but elevation?

What if the flood is not to kill youbut to change how people see you?

Joshua had been across the Jordan before—but never like this. And that’s the truth of leadership:

Your next level will not look like the last one.

Your next crossing will require a different version of you.

“Some people can’t go with you. They are desert babies.”

This part was both painful and freeing.

We all have voices around us, people we love, people we carry, people we try to take along with us into the promised land.

But Bishop Jakes said:

“Some people are not able to cross a floodplain. You cannot bring everybody with you.”

Sometimes the separation is not betrayal; it is divine alignment.

Sometimes God has to clear your circle so He can clear your path.

Sometimes you cannot lead new people with old expectations.

Sometimes you cannot walk into a new season while dragging people who belong to your old season.

This right here is where I felt God speak directly to my situation.

You Are Not an Impostor—You Are Becoming Who God Called You To Be

Another powerful moment:

“You cannot influence where you are not fully persuaded.”

So many of us cry out for elevation, leadership, impact, success, visibility, and growth—but when God begins to move us, we question whether we are worthy.

But if God called you, you’re qualified.

If God anointed you, you’re equipped.

If God chose you, you cannot be replaced.

And if God increased your influence, no one can decrease it.

My Prayer After Hearing This Message

I ended the video with tears in my eyes and a new strength in my heart.

Here is the prayer I wrote afterward:

“Lord, help me cross this Jordan.

Help me stop asking for evacuation and start asking for ammunition.

Help me steward the influence You’ve trusted me with.

Help me face this flood with faith, not fear.

Help me walk in humility, courage, and purpose.

And help me never forget that the flood is a sign of the harvest.”

If you’re reading this, here is what I want you to know:

You are not failing.

You are not drowning.

You are not stuck.

You are not behind.

You are in a flooding season—because God is preparing you for harvest.

And how you handle this season will determine the influence you walk in for the rest of your life.

Keep walking.

Keep trusting.

Keep pushing.

Keep crossing.

You are closer to your promised land than you think.