From Evernote:

Bishop Jakes

They took the city - the first city was Gods.

Then there was one brother - always one- who took the golden garment.

That didn't stop the fall of Jericho but the next time they went o battle... They were beat.

Joshua's response to defeat: he threw a fit. That is the appropriate response to defeat by a faith person because with people do not expect defeat!

Ordinary becomes extraordinary when you come into agreement.

Sometimes you have to move obstacles out of your way in order to get what God has promised you.

So Joshua had a fit and once it was over God told him to get up. One of you failed to come into agreement. Because one of you messed up you got the blessing but you missed the corporate blessing bc you failed to come into agreement.

Without agreement you may survive but  you miss out on the blessing. Get out of survival mode!

Joshua examined each tribe, family to find out who stole God's stuff.

You never tear up your history to get your destiny.

You can't say you ate prospering if you're stealing.

In the 8th book of Joshua, they go back to fight he battle that they lost. Do not go around it, do not cover it- demand victory. Go back to the site of your defeat and demand victory.

The power is not in the money, it's in the strategy.  If you get the strategy, the money will come. God will always send the resources to undergird the strategy.

The work is not in the performance- it's in the strategy. If you get there without a strategy, you won't be able to handle what God had for you. My people perish for the lack of a plan.

The power is in agreement.

Your Judas is always at your table.

Bishop Jakes - Potters House Jan 16 2011

The word blessed, like cursed, speaks to the end of the thing.

Jesus cursed the fig tree. It was fine at the time, but it was dead when
they came back.

Adversity causes you to measure the extent that you are blessed.

The Blessed Test

3 Don'ts and a Do

1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.

a. You have put yourself in a place of naturalness and not supernatural-ness

b. Romans 12:2 – be not conformed to this world. Do not move in
alignment with the world. Just because this world is going down, doesn't
mean you have to go down.

c. Be ye transformed – if I don't transform, I'm going to be frustrated.
Are your associations bringing out the worm in you or the wings in you?

d. Transformation starts on the inside- you are transformed by the
renewing of your mind.

e. Your mind becomes what it eats. You become what you read.

f. Faith cometh by hearing the word of God. It is easier to renew
anything than your mind. It's easier to change externals than it is to
change your mind.

g. It is hard to change sociological contexts. You may be a butterfly,
but if you are surrounded by worms.

h. It starts with your thinking and in how you process stuff. The mind
is the thing Jesus didn't save.

i. "Just another day the Lord has kept me…"

j. Your mind gives you options. Your mind is not saved, it's always
doing comparisons.

i. Your spirit is saved, your body will be, and your mind is being saved.

ii. Transformed- by the renewing of the mind.

k. You're not supposed to be walking in the course of this world. Just
because you can relate to the weakness doesn't mean you have to bow to
the mindset.

l. There is a spirit of disobedience. You don't need to convert what
you're tempted by.

m. Lust: fulfilling the lust of the flesh and the mind. The prodigal son
came to himself – I will arise and go where I'm thinking. You will
always go where you're thinking. So if you want to be transformed-
change what you are thinking. I will arise and go to my father's house.

n. But God. – Put a BUT in it. But God.

i. Who is rich in mercy.

2. Psalms 1: Nor standeth in the way of sinners.

a. Stand in the path, the way, of sinners. Don't adopt their ways.

b. Don't walk (action) and don't get in the ways (proclivity).

c. Don't develop the ways of the sinner.

3. Don't sit in the seat of the scornful.

a. Don't start hanging with bitter people. They always see the negative.

b. People who are scorned are dangerous. Because you didn't do what they
wanted you to do. They are scorned. Rejected people are dangerous. The
only thing that Saul had against David was that he was rejected.

c. Their logic is tainted by bitterness. If you get bitter you'll never
get better.

4. Do: In His law does he meditate day and night. He delights in Gods word.\

a. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters that
bringeth forth fruit in his own season. Timing.

i. There is a timing dimension to blessing. They that wait upon the
Lord. It's coming in due season.

ii. God is feeding what you shall be. It's coming.

iii. Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

1. God cannot bless what you do not do. It's in your action.

2. When you underestimate the effort, you are shocked by the trauma and
run from the process.

3. It's not as easy as it looks- but God says if you do it, I will bless
you.

The Blessed Test- do you want it bad enough.

The doing that might bring bruising. The miracle- the blessing- was in
the doing.

Prove me.

The blessing is a reaction. If you do it- then I will react and pour you
out a blessing.

You're not waiting on God. God is waiting on you.

This is my year to work that thing.

The progress is in the process.

You have grossly underestimated what it takes to be successful.

God cannot bless what you will not do.

Hebrews: you think you can't make it? You have not tried unto blood. IF
you do what it takes, I will multiply it while you are doing it. It had
to multiply at the point of the breaking and not at the point of the
blessing. He had to be able to hold it.

This breaking is my blessing.

From Evernote:

Bishop Jakes - Jan 2 2011

(KJV) Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all [things].

Money is not evil- the love of money is the root of all evil.

It has its limitations - it can't buy love because love is not a thing.

(KJV) Malachi 3:6 For I [am] the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

-Sons of deceit. You don't get slick by yourself

:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept [them]. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

-you can be separated from God and not know it. (i.e. Samson)

-people separate before they separate

:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

-people don't like to be robbed

(KJV) Malachi 3:9 Ye [are] cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, [even] this whole nation.

(KJV) Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].

-the greater the vision the greater the provision. Dig ditches in your valley.

-You may attack my circumstances but you won't defeat my will.

-Anytime there is nit enough meat in the house you need to check the tithes. Every pipe gets wet bringing me water. The same little bitty hand you use to give out with is the same little bitty hand you scoop with.

-the Lord said to put him to the test

Windows of heaven = floodgates

the spirit shows you what's behind the gates

The obedience is better than sacrifice. The obedience opens up the floodgates. Rebellion shuts it down. You don't treat the rebellious child the same as the obedient one- thou you love them the same.

You can survive a while lot of ways.

Work: it was not what I wanted to do bit I had to do it.

You can grow up in a system but you don't have to stay in it.

God will open the floodgates in time- your later days will be greater than your  early days

The blessing is coming.

As long as you don't cheat your partner you have a partner for life. Why should God use his contacts to bless your life if he knows he won't get his cut?

(KJV) Haggai 1:6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages [to put it] into a bag with holes.

-consider your ways

(KJV) Haggai 1:9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, [it came] to little; and when ye brought [it] home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that [is] waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

-because you put your house before mine, I scattered your intake

- your money trail tells where your heart is. Your money says who you are.

God said 'I will open up the floodgates and pour you out a blessing'

-there is something that I know that will bless your whole life. The floodgate is hiding he blessing - the blessing is hiding the money. The blessing is not the money.

- you wouldn't lock up something that wasn't valuable. Death couldn't take Jacob until he released the blessing.

-the blessing will come through a person 'men shall come unto your bosom'

-'Show me the man!' - God said, 'Show me your tithe'

-Jesus is laid wrapped in rags in a manger but three camels laden with riches are on their way

-the camels are coming... The thing you need, the thing you have been waiting on is coming your way.

-get yourself into alignment. The camels are coming.

He blessing is not in my address- it's in me. The blessing of the lord will overflow. My cup runneth over. Blessed people leave blessed people in their wake.

The blessing comes through obedience. You aren't dancing for dollars. The blessing does not come through praise. Holiness doesn't bring the blessing.

It brings you discipline. The principle is: "God I put you first."

Before adding carpet to the building, there had to be a structure. Respect the structure, then God will invest in it. The structure is based on what is on the other side of the gate.

The camels are coming.