T.D. Jakes - Reposition Yourself: Living Life Without Limits

Dr. Phil McGraw

F rom our humble beginnings to our roots in Dallas and the deep and abiding faith at the center of our lives, I believe that I have some important life experiences in common with Bishop T.D. Jakes. We both have been blessed beyond all expec tations. Yet, I think he would agree that our greatest shared blessing is that we both have been afforded the tremendous opportunity, through our respective platforms, to reach out to teach and inspire others to challenge and overcome their limitations while striving to fulfi ll their highest possible purposes on this earth.

Bishop Jakes certainly serves as a wonderful example to us all. This pastor, author, artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist began his ministry in 1979 with just ten people in his West Virginia congregation. Today, he leads the Potters House in Dallas, one of the nations fastest-growing megachurches with more than thirty thousand members. Yet, that is just the home base for a spiritual outreach that now extends around the world. Through his broadcasts and missionary work, he is the spiritual shepherd to millions across the globe. Yet just as he did back in West Virginia, he continues to meet people where they are in their lives, bringing them a real and relatable message of the power of faith and hope.

With this book, Bishop Jakes builds upon that inspiring message by providing extremely useful tools and practical guidance to help real people, in the real world, to break through whatever barriers they may encounter in reaching for higher achievementand the most fulfilling, prosperous, and authentic life possible.

Bishop Jakes believes, as do I, that the blessings granted each of us should be embraced, acknowledged, andmost of allbuilt upon with hard work and determination so that we keep growing and preparing ourselves as worthy recipients of even greater rewards.

It is an undeniable truth that one year from now your life will be better or it will be worse, but it wont be the same. No matter where each of us starts out on the socioeconomic scale, we all have the potential for prosperous and fulfilling lives if we take responsibility for our own successes. Bishop Jakes and I both strive to live by and teach that message. We both encourage you to stay on the path and refuse to accept limitationseither those imposed by others or those you place on yourself.

In the title of this book and throughout its pages, Bishop Jakes exhorts you to rise above your challenges, learn from your mistakes, build upon your blessings, and to continuously make adjustments so that you are always on track to serve your highest purpose.

Bishop Jakes and I agree that the measure of your success is not calculated by the material possessions you acquire but by the quality of the life you lead and the others you lift up and inspire along the way. The bishop serves as a model and a guide for that philosophy, and with this book, he both lights the path and ignites the fires within you.

B ack when I was a boy, if you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would likely have responded, with a sheepish grin, fireman or actor. Becoming an entrepreneur with a half-dozen diverse businesses, much less a preacher and pastor to a church of over thirty thousand members, would never have crossed my mind. Appearing on the cover of Time magazine and meeting with presidents, prime ministers, Academy Awardwinning actors, and celebrated professional athletes, was outside my imagination as well.

My father, the founder of a large and successful janitorial business, hoped that Id take over his company. My mother, an entrepreneur in her own right, probably thought that I would become a singer or dramatist. None of us envisioned me ministering to thousands of people around the worldfrom Africa to Asia, New England to New Zealandor me publishing books and participating in film projects for the big screen.

My life has constantly changed as I responded to events, people, and opportunities. I have been divinely blessed by my Creator. Ive also made deliberate attempts to grow, to position myself to receive, and to reposition myself to receive more.