Lesson-Points from T.D Jake’s He Motions

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T.D Jakes’s He-motions

Lesson points are arranged according to the book’s chapter, and has been originally twitted at https://twitter.com/dnddyon   with #hemotions

(I did not have any points from some chapters so I skipped those chapters)

 

Forward (by Max Lucado)

“Is gender defined by dumbbell lifting and female conquering?” “There must be more to being a man…”

“Real men pray… open up to friends… cherish their wives and love their children… kneel at the cross… (and) read He-Motions”

 

Introduction: Men in Motion

“When a man is locked up alone, he is forced to come to terms with himself, with his God, and with the reality of his life before him.”

“If we are to lower the temperature and restore our environment, we must begin communicating- initially with our selves, gradually with God, and increasingly with others.”

“We must enter the dialogue… who am I? Why in the world am I where I am today, this minute? How do I feel about my identity? What have I quit hoping for in life? Do I have what it takes to keep going, to attain my dreams?”

“… it’s time you got real with yourself if you want to live life as God intended for you to live it. It’s what you were created for and who you long to be.”

“What’s the right way to run? How can a man discover which way he should be going? … Sometimes he just has to slow down and find the pace at which God created him to run. He has to discover his natural rhythm so that he can move forward with grace and determination, knowing that he is running in such a way that he may obtain the prize.”

“… if we are to freeze the frames of a true man in motion, we must consider one who lived in the fullness of his masculinity, who loved and failed and wandered and returned, who battled and risked and won and lost, who persevered and danced and sang.”

 

Part One: A Man’s Relationship with Himself

One: Secret Identity- Discovering the King Inside the Kid

“… the unexamined life falls short of who we could be and what God has empowered us to do…”

“… what you spend your money on is a direct reflection of where your values are placed…”

“Can you compare your personal assets and liabilities and honestly assess your character? This means listing, without arrogance, the assets you bring to any endeavour…”

“Are you a procrastinator? Are you caught up in a secret lust or perversion? Do you struggle to follow through on commitment…”

“While you may not want anyone else to see this list, keep it real with yourself”

“If you are to know your identity, then you must be a student of yourself…”

“Although you may have many responsibilities, you cannot take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself.”

“A man must value himself, or his emotional deficiencies will manifest themselves in his behaviour and in his relationship with others. He will be looking to others to meet needs that only he can meet or that he can only experience in his relationship with God.”

“There is a king inside the kid just waiting to be recognised and anointed… a man of greatness waiting to overcome and succeed if given the right variables and opportunities.”

“All the more reason you should come to your senses and realise who you are and what you’re capable of accomplishing.”

 

 

Two: Purpose or Perish- Finding Your Place in the World

“the thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do…”

“Money never replaces purpose. When a man has found that thing which he would do for free, simply for the fulfilment of doing it, he has found his calling.”

“… there’s nothing more miserable than a man trying to fit into a part for which he is ill suited.”

“… more often than not, a man must wade through the expectations and deferred dreams of his parents and discover his own identity and purpose. ”

“If a man is unaware of the tools, talents, and abilities he possesses, then he will not know they are at his disposal to use.”

“If money were not a consideration, what would you want to fill your days? How does this compare with where you are now? What’s one small step you can take right now- one phone call made, one letter written, one email sent- to move toward your true life’s calling?”

“Who do you admire and envy for the way they’ve applied their talents? How are you like these people? What can you learn from seeing the way they fulfil their calling?”

“What would you want to be remembered for? How are you presently pursuing smaller goals to fulfil being this man in motion?”

“Fear of risking, fear of failing, fear of changing, and fear of succeeding often imprison a man’s sense of calling so that he remains locked within himself…”

“It is an invaluable gift when a woman believes in a man’s dream. We all need someone who helps facilitate the dream inside…”

“… do not waste anything you went through on your way to getting what you feel you were meant to do. It is all part of the process of greatness.”

“Hurdles may require the assistance of others, and you may benefit from the counsel of those around you, but when it comes right down to it, you must slay your own giants in your own way.”

“It is not always easy to make good choices, but if we have faith in ourselves, we more often than not make the right decisions.”

“Look yourself in the eye and dare to hope again that your dreams are still alive, still attainable. Uncover your buried treasure chest of talents and risk them in God-honoring ways.”

 

Part Two: A Man’s Relationship with Time

Three: Ages and Stages

“The passing of time is not something that can be fixed or even altered. Life moves forward, and there is nothing we can do about it. Our time here is limited, and when our days run out, we are done.”

“For many of us, fighting the good fight of faith means arming yourself with weapons like treadmills and stationery bikes.”

“Take an inventory of your life and honestly tally your achievements and your goals.”

 

Five: Finding our Fathers

“Fathers can speak to a child’s sense of identity in ways that challenge the child to move beyond the security and comfort of childhood”

“Fathers can provide models for masculinity that influence who their sons become and whom their daughters marry”

“We can spend a lifetime trying to determine the boundaries between who we are and the man who was our first and most influential role model”

“We constantly question what it means to be a man in relation to our father, and we have a constant need to connect with this man so we may discover who it is we really are”

“If we cannot bear to uncover the wound and access its shape and size, its depth and intensity, then it will be difficult to know how to approach our needs for the healing process”

“Many men do not always know how to be good sons… They need to respect that their father has his own weaknesses and struggles, his own needs and desires”

“Sons must learn to allow their own fathers to have fears and disappointments, to have all the same flaws and fragments as any other man”

“True mentoring is in showing someone your strengths and your liabilities”

 

Six: Wrestling the Angel- Reclaiming Your Father’s Blessings

“… before a man can go forward, he has to be prepared to finish his unfinished business in the past.”

“If we don’t practice forgiving our fathers, then our old wounds will remain infected with a bitterness and silent rage that will eventually spread to our entire lives.”

“… If we don’t learn to love what our father gave us and let go of what our father failed us, then we run an incredibly high risk of repeating the melody of his mistakes in a new key.”

“For when we cling tightly to our wounds, to being victimized by absent fathers, to experiencing disappointment over his failures, whatever they may be, then we limit our ability to reach ahead and grasp what lies ahead of us”

“The harmful consequences of your father’s actions do not have to be perpetuated in your life.”

 

Part Four: A Man’s Relationship With Other Men

Seven: Looking for a Few Good Men

“… the enemy loves it when we struggle along, afraid and uncertain, thinking that we’re the only ones wrestling with the current issue brewing in our souls.”

“The devil can tempt us and pull us away if he can isolate us”

“You are not what you do… What you have may change… Things will change over the course of our lives”

“In covenant relationships there may be, and should be, accountability, but there’s more a deeper sense of caring about a brother who’s struggling without trying to punish him for his misdeed.”

“By showing our secrets, we are building ourselves to each other. We are opening ourselves and saying, “This is who I am… I am showing you the most intimate part of my being…” … we are enthrusting our hearts to eah other…”

“The power of a brother is a mighty gift- cultivate and cherish it.”

 

Eight: Real Men need Real friends

“… often when people don’t understand our struggles, they add to our pain with their constant preaching and badgering.”

“Turn off that cell phone at the dinner table- stop putting people on hold in front of you while you engage with people who are not there.”

 

Part Five: A Man’s Relationship with His Woman

Nine: Balancing the Power of Love

“To keep the melody flowing sweetly and your steps in sync in a marriage, the partners must divide up the responsibilities so that neither one has to feel like they must do everything.”

“You must delegate chores and tasks according to individual strengths and abilities to ensure that you’re not duplicating efforts.”

“whatever it is, a man is greatly benefited by a woman who can point out his power.”

“… if you don’t contain your work life and seperate it from your home life, then your career will consume the marriage…”

“commit to not working overtime unless it will have a tangible positive impact on your relationship.”

“… you must constantly seek God for that proper mix of time away and time invested.”

“there are ways to make your money work for you instead of you always going out to work for it.”

“make an appointment with each other and remove as many distractions as possible. Release each other from past anger, disappointment, shame, and regret (over poor spending habits and lost opportunities).”

“Pray together for the Lord to bless your discussion and provide you with a clear vision for the house you want to build together from the blueprint you are drawing”

“Don’t leave God out of the process.”

“You will want to get a handle on maintaining a budget and paying off debt before you take a huge risk for a new endeavour and quit your day job. So keep it up-to-date.”

“Diversify your portfolio so that there are numerous investments returning life-long dividends for you, your wife and your family.”

 

Ten: Money: For Richer or Poorer

Eleven: Sexual Harmony With the One You love

“We have trouble believing that God’s way will fill the void in our lives.”

“It may take some work but ultimately, God knows how to get you to the right place without taking a wrong turn.”

“Trust him. It is the first step to take in heeding His counsel for you”

 

Part Seven: A Man’s relationship with God

Thirteen: A Man after God’s own Heart

“When a child leads the way in commitment to a church, 3.5percent of families follow. When a woman/mom leads… 17percent… but when a man/dad leads… 93percent… follow”

“No, we cannot run from God, not for ever, and certainly not for long if we want to know peace in our hearts and purpose in our steps. We must spend time alone with Him, seeking His wisdom and allowing Him to speak to us in His time.”

“… too often we keep feeding the pigs at the trough, eating like one of them ourselves, rather than realizing that we don’t have to come to our father as a successful, rich, well-groomed, happily married parent of 2.5 kids in the suburbs.”

“(1) God will certainly ask us to do things that we’re uncomfortable doing, acts that will require courage and sacrifice”

“(2) He will never send us to do a job for which He hasn’t equipped us and given us a measure of peace concerning our involvement.”

“Men who are in touch with the heart of God run the risk of being just as dangerous as God Himself. They’re willing to follow their dreams, question tradition, and think out of controversial boxes.”

“They’re willing to risk conflict and speak their minds and reveal what God has laid on their hearts. They are willing to act irrationally and listen intuitively to the calling God sets before them.”

“It is against God that we sin. We cannot blame others and their weaknesses while we habour areas in our heart that need repair.”

“Many men confuse church with God and forget to forgive others who are flawed like us. Don’t let the past stop you from finding a vibrant life with God now.”

“God can handle the full brunt of all the pain we’ve experienced, all the trials we’ve suffered, all the tears we’ve shed.”

“He wants to be intimately involved in each day of our lives, guiding and nurturing, shepharding and challenging, if we only let Him.”

 

Epilogue: Embrace the Race

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost… Now put foundations under them.” -Henry David Thoreau-

“Take the next step… and pick up the pace… There have been hard things… but you’ve survived… and you’ve still made it this far.”

“Now it’s time to thrive, to flourish, and to pursue your dream more passionately than ever.”

“Face the giant in your life, slay them, and move on. Do not be daunted by the mistakes and failures in your life.”

“Leave a legacy that you will be proud to pass on to your children and their children.”

 

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