A week after handing over The Potter’s House to his daughter, Sarah Jakes Roberts, and son-in-law, Touré Roberts, T.D. Jakes has already found a place back in the pulpit again.
Jakes was invited by Elevation Church pastor Steven Furtick to preach a message to the Charlotte-based congregation. Speaking on “The Power to Change Your Mind,” Jakes encouraged Christians not to conform to Christian culture and habits, but to be transformed by the renewing of their minds.
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As he opened, Jakes reminded the crowd that church isn’t just about goosebumps and celebration—real transformation happens in the “outer court,” where daily life tests the depth of our change.
“You mean I can have a new mind?” he asked rhetorically. “You mean I can literally be responsible for changing my mind? The place that holds my past, my trauma, my fears?” According to Jakes, the answer is yes—but not without sacrifice. He unpacked the meaning of being a “living sacrifice,” explaining that transformation is not pretty or easy. Like Old Testament offerings, it means laying oneself down, willingly, on the altar of surrender.
Jakes lamented that the modern church often excels at conversion but struggles with transformation. “We know how to lead people to Jesus,” he said, “but we go home and wrestle with the inability to change.” He drew attention to how technology, culture and social noise have become modern forms of conformity. “Don’t be conformed to the world,” he warned. “Turn off the news sometimes… God did not design us to be inundated with other people’s opinions.”
The bishop spoke candidly about the inner tug-of-war between history and destiny. While God calls us to greatness—to be overcomers, mountain movers and reflections of His glory—our history often contaminates that calling. “It’s not my destiny I’m worried about,” he declared. “It’s the contamination of my history.”
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He urged listeners to confront what has shaped them—the people who touched them before God did—and to understand that transformation involves peeling back layers of hurt, fear and false identity. “God doesn’t want your impostor,” he thundered. “He wants who you really are.”
Throughout the message, Bishop Jakes painted a vivid picture of God’s longing for a people who mirror His image, not just in doctrine or behavior, but in mindset and identity. “You were created to be God’s reflection on Earth,” he said. “That’s why hell attacks you early.”
Ultimately, Jakes’ message called for a deep internal shift—a refusal to settle for surface-level Christianity and an invitation to step into the painful but glorious process of becoming new. Because, as he preached with bold conviction, “You can be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
